Strolling into Hell
by mangosunrise
Summary: If you had been "lucky" to escape the breath of hell once why would you go back? to save the ones you love, yourself A member of NCIS will be faced with this choice and will do so alone. You maybe able to stroll into hell but you will have to crawl back out,if you can escape at all. My first story, Tim centric with all the team.*Warnings for religious themes.*Chapter 10 is now up*
1. Chapter 1

Hi Guys

I have been a massive fan of this website and after 5 years of enjoying all your work I have finally gotten the courage to post my very first ever story.

I hope to receive some feedback, all constructive of course and hope you will go easy on me. This is new to me and I am very nervous as to how this will be received. I am hoping that I am not deluded and that I should continue to write this as I must say that this was an extremely enjoyable endeavour.

**Disclaimer:**

**And of course I do not own NCIS but if I did hoo boy...**

Chapter 1 - Sickening Sunrise

He couldn't tell if he was shaking from the cold night air or if he was still in shock, most likely a mixture of both,  
but one thing he did know, as he strode from the building, he dare not look back, his legs mercifully bringing him forward  
while his traitorous brain kept shouting :_ go back, they'll understand, don't run away, not again._

__But instinct, self preservation, call it what you will drove him forward. His eyes moist from the stinging night air he told himself.  
The lump in his throat growing larger with each step he took towards his car.

_Just get in the car and go, if you don't hurry, they'll realize your gone and come looking, _this thought tinged with sadness as he realized that it would be out of concern and not out of any willingness to do him harm.

This was something that he had come to appreciate deeply and something that had not come easy.  
He had finally learned to trust and what had this done for him? made him soft?

_No_ he argued with himself ,it made him part of a family, sadly though a luxury he could ill afford,  
a luxury he had allowed himself to have in the mistaken belief that maybe, just maybe this time it could be different.

He should have known this would have happened and sooner or later his selfishness could cause them harm.

He was a lot of things, he was all too aware of his faults, they had been catalogued by himself mainly over many hard years. They were pointed out to him more than once, by friend and foe alike.  
Sometimes it was done with a vicious tongue by one person or another and sometimes with the gentleness only a friendship would allow for another person to point out such a delicate thing.  
He argued that he was doing this to protect the ones he loved, but he couldn't deny the aftertaste of relief he now had in the back of his throat.  
The lump that resided there earlier almost cutting off his airway was now almost bearable but still a small reminder that he was doing the right thing.

It always hurt when he left, but it was for the best he told himself as it had been before, _this time was no different, was it?_

"Ziver, where'd he go"? snapped Gibbs, " he was here only a moment ago, photographing the kitchen, do you want me to go find him Gibbs"? "no damn it, you stay here with the body, i'll go, bad enough I'm one man down".

Gibbs dialed his agents number and was enraged to hear it go straight to voicemail,  
"not okay" he ground out angrily "damn it" he spat.  
He was tired although he would never admit to this, even under the worst of torture, coffee only went so far, even for him.  
His reliance on the liquid legendary in the annals of NCIS.

They had all been working longer hours than usual the past couple of weeks, he himself even starting to feel fatigue setting in,  
but the bodies were piling up and they had bupkiss, _"they were the MCRT they had a responsibility to close this case as quickly and efficiently as others in the past"_ . Those were Vance's words not his.

He couldn't give a damn about statistics or any of that crap, he just wanted to bring this to a close in order to save lives and hopefully closure to the ever increasing line of devastated families that were now looking to him for answers.  
Answers that he simply didn't have. He suddenly felt his age and that didn't happen every day and to top it all off his agents were going walkabout on him when he needed them more than ever to do their jobs.

He was shaking now, adrenaline, anger, self loathing, too many things to process.

He just repeated the mantra he had started 20 minutes ago when he had photographed the kitchen wall,  
blood spray against a sickly yellow shade of sunset. For a moment being only that – blood on a wall,  
a not uncommon sight in his line of work, then something familiar had made itself known.

_He's back, he's back and if he knows I'm here he will not just stop at the mess he left behind in that kitchen, that mess being at one time a young marine, his whole future ahead of him,  
not that a thought such as that would even come anywhere near entering such a twisted mind. He was doing it again. _

_He was trying desperately to apply even the tiniest bit of rationality to the completely irrational and horrific, it hadn't worked in the past why would it now?_

_The scariest thing being that there was absolutely no reason for this horror now as there was none then. This was no misguided, deluded attempt by a broken mind for a certain type of justice, nothing remotely logical. How do you fight something like that?  
Something without form or reason, something that fed on anarchy, destruction, misery. _

_For no apparent reason other than it was a form of recreation for a mind firmly housed in the lowest level of hell.  
There was nothing that could be said or done to even try and 'reason' with something so evil.  
People believe that they see evil everyday but he envied them some of their experiences,  
for he had truly stared into the flinty grey orbs of something worse than evil, a nothingness an absence of soul and humanity and had survived, not unscathed and only by accident, something he knew, he was literally lucky to be alive._

_He realized that he was now gripping the steering wheel so hard that the palms of his hands were starting to burn  
and that his inner monologue had cost him precious minutes he could not afford._

_If he was to get out of here as quickly as possible without being noticed he could ponder the where's and why's later on, right now, his life and the lives of everyone he loved, family by blood and family by fate, not to mention future victims, of that he was sure beyond any doubt there would be, rested on him getting the hell out of here._

He pulled away from the curb not yet switching on his lights until he was sure that he was far enough down the street so as not to attract attention.

He took one last look at the house he had just left and realized that this would not be the last crime scene created by the devils henchman.  
He was not abandoning his team, he momentarily regretted that was what he would have appeared to have done, and Gibbs, well Gibbs would be pissed.

It was not in his nature to abandon anyone in trouble, that part of his character , thankfully remaining unchanged.  
It would most definitely be easier if he didn't care but taking the easy way out didn't always mean an easy life, proof positive of this was his current predicament.

He switched on his lights, straightened himself up, blinked away his uncertainty and put his foot on the gas. He could figure something, anything out, lives depended on it.

_Timothy McGee was a survivor in the past he prayed for everyone's sake he could be again._


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2 **

**Highway to Hell**

** Can I say a massive thanks to all who have reviewed my story so far.**

**These reviewers admitted that they are not fans of the genre that I am working on and also in some cases  
the character that I am writing about. That is why I am most grateful for their time and comments.**

**All constructive criticism and positive reviews if I am deemed worthy of such a thing, are all received with many thanks**

**I'll admit that there is a slow build up here but I am trying to very much set the tone and if you stick with me  
I believe it will pay off - I have some gritty stuff planned for chapter 3.**

**Disclamer ….NCIS is not mine …aww … if only – one can dream.**

**Now on with the story.**

**Chapter 2 **

**Highway to Hell**

If Tim hadn't switched off his phone he knew that it would have probably been smoking right now with the amount  
of calls he would be getting.

He dreaded to think of the amount of voicemails that he would have received if he ever chose to turn it back on.  
To be on the safe side he disposed of it out of the driver side window lamenting momentarily that he had just  
bought it less than two weeks ago, a state of the art phone at that.

He started to do something he hadn't for a very long time, he started to pray, it came naturally to him in times of crisis.  
This now being one of those times. It was all he could do right now, his firearm, his ability with computers,  
all his training as a federal agent could do little to help his predicament right now.

As he entered his apartment he noted the cold, how his breath misted in front of him as he made his way to his bedroom.

He reached into the back of his wardrobe and grasped an item that until less than an hour ago  
he had forgotten had been there.

He looked at the bag in his hand and his heart sank, it was covered in a light film of dust, testament to its lack of use.  
It was as if it was almost taunting him – "_you need me"_. He must have known he would need it again at some stage,  
if not why would he have kept it?

Why had he not disposed of the contents?

His over analysis of the situation would have to wait. Tim was about to leave Washington DC as he had arrived,  
alone and with a bag of items that would have raised quite a few eyebrows if its contents were to become  
known to his colleagues or anyone for that matter.

_"Ziver"_ shouted Gibbs

"_Yes Gibbs"_ Ziva muttered. He was driving her crazy even more impatient than usual.

_"As soon as we finish up here I want you to find out where the hell Tim went. It better be good_" said Gibbs.

He would rather Ziva find out what had happened with Tim as Gibbs, tired and all as he was,  
was now getting that all familiar feeling in his gut.

He was mad at Tim but he also knew something wasn't right and DiNozzo was not known for handling Tim carefully.

Although he knew next to nothing about what was going on, his gut was able to tell him that  
he should at least tread carefully.

Ziva heard the bite in Gibbs words while he relayed his order to her.  
But something about the way he looked at her when he said it made her soften.  
She wouldn't have called it a look of fear, but a hard edged concern being the only way to describe it.

She knew what he was trying to relay to her without actually having to say it.

_"Find out where he is and how he is and come to me immediately when you find out- only me"._

Tim was now finally on the road.

He dare not even look in the rear view mirror, not because he was afraid of what he might see there  
but of what he might not see; somebody who would not be strong enough for what now needed to be done.

Jethro his faithful companion was now thankfully having the run of his namesakes' garden,  
thanks to a suspected gas leak in his building.  
Gibbs had gruffly told him to _"leave the dog for an extra few days"_ after the leak had been cleared up.

_"Dog needs the exercise"_ Gibbs muttered. But Tim suspected that Gibbs actually liked the animals company,  
animals being so much less complicated than people.

He would admit he shared that sentiment with Gibbs. They could sense the need for quiet and for comfort,  
infinitely better than any people that he had come across except maybe a very special few.

He drove for what seemed like days but in reality was four hours, his legs beginning to cramp.  
He forgot about his discomfort when he now recognized the road he had turned onto only five miles back.

There was no map made that Tim knew about that had this place on it, for that he was extremely grateful.

He switched off his lights having no more need of them now as he remembered every curve and bump in the road.

He had not been back here for almost eleven years but he would not, could not forget this place - his salvation and his prison.

Tim brought his car to a stop resting his head on the steering wheel. He was relieved and angry all at once.  
It's not that he hadn't wanted to come back here, but he wanted it to be on his terms.

He had left because he had felt at the time that he could not move on from what had happened unless he did.  
He was now right back where he started.

He hadn't time to fully process this line of thought when he felt a light knock at his window.

He didn't even have to look up to know who it was.

Tim hoped he could have approached unnoticed but he realized he had been kidding himself.  
He opened the door and with aching limbs exited the car, towering over the person he stood facing.  
The fading light could not hide the sadness and recognition on their face.

"_I had hoped, with the greatest of intentions that I would not see you here again so soon Tim" the man_ said sadly.

_"This can only mean one thing" _the older man ventured.

Tim nodded sadly, his only audible response a weary exhalation of air.

"_You best come in. The others have retired for the night. Come you look tired we can talk in the morning"._  
This was all the older man said, before he gently guided Tim by his elbow towards the large oak door.

Tim took a moment to look back from the direction he came, at what he couldn't be sure.  
He just knew that when he went through this door he may not be able to go back out it again,  
literally and figuratively, nonetheless he must walk through it again but for different reasons this time.

The older man Francis or Frankie as everyone here called him guided Tim into the kitchen.  
The low light of the room now matched Tim's mood almost perfectly.  
He proceeded wordlessly to pour a cup of what Tim could only assume was the concoction  
that he always had in his hand when he had been here before.

It reminded him of Gibbs for a moment, a coffee always in hand.  
The thought brought him a pang of regret for a moment, another emotion to add to the list he was now experiencing.

As they both sat facing each other on the large table that Frankie himself had made with his own hands,  
the only sound that Tim could hear was his heart thumping loudly in his ears.

He suddenly felt exhausted.

He heard a creak behind him and he smiled in spite of himself. Frankie was a perfectionist,  
when he was working on a project that interested him,  
but he still, after 10 years hadn't fixed the broken step halfway down the stairs.

Tim looked over his right shoulder and said only one word. "_Ellen"_

She started to speed up and move towards him with a smile on her face  
but slowed down just as quick and was now looking unsure of how to approach him.

The reason for his presence here not lost on her. Her face quickly changed into a mask of politeness and she straightened herself.

_"I thought I heard somebody down here. I never thought for a moment it would be you"._

_"Welcome back Father McGee"_

**I thought that was an interesting ending to the chapter, your thoughts and questions are welcome.**

**Should post chapter 3 tomorrow.**

**Toodles for now.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

**There are no such things as coincidences.**

Ziva let herself into Tim's apartment, a key not necessary. It was freezing. Anytime she had been here before she  
remembered it always being so warm almost cozy, but then Tim had always been there too when she had come by in the past.

She couldn't see anything amiss, nothing to suggest that Tim or anybody else had been here in the past couple of hours.  
She hadn't checked the parking garage but knew that if Tim had not wanted his presence known he would not have left his car where anybody could see it.

She made her way through the living room and veered around to the bedroom, which also appeared to be undisturbed.  
As she turned to leave something caught her eye. His bedroom closet was slightly ajar.  
She would never normally have a problem with investigating something she deemed necessary.

But this was Tim's apartment, her friend's home.

She hesitated for a moment but recalled Gibbs earlier behavior and his worry. She then decided that she needed to check every possible lead out.  
Tim was so fastidious; he would not just leave a door open, even in his own apartment.

Ziva peered into the closet and didn't notice anything that immediately raised her concern. Shoes, clothes, belts, the usual things.  
She switched on the light to get a better view of the inside of the closet. The only thing that stood out  
was a rectangular gap in the upper right part of the floor of the closet.  
Her curiosity was momentarily peaked.

If Tim had been here in the past couple of hours, from what she could now tell, he brought only thing with him, a bag or case of some kind she mused.

She made her way back into the living area and quickly scanned the room. Nothing immediately appeared to be out of place, but she knew there must be.  
Tim would not just leave and definitely not in the middle of processing a crime scene unless there was a damn good reason.

She sat down on Tim's couch and huffed with annoyance, she must be missing something! She felt something digging into her hip and adjusted herself more comfortably on the sofa. Something was wedged down the back of the sofa and after much fussing she pulled a book of some kind out from behind the cushion.

There was a chain of some sort hanging from the book and on closer inspection Ziva was surprised to see it was a set of rosary beads enclosed in a much worn and very used Bible. She had not known Tim to be outwardly religious but this part of his personality surprised her greatly to say the least.  
She flicked through the book not expecting to find anything.  
The book itself was soft and pliable from use. Pages turned down, passages underlined.

The thing that really caught her attention was the picture tucked in the last few pages. She studied it carefully and realized it was Tim,  
but a much younger and somber looking Tim. He was towering over an older man, with graying hair and kind eyes that were housed in a heavily lined face.  
Tim's arm was draped across the older man's shoulder almost protectively.

Ziva knew that Tim's relationship with his father was frosty to say the least, something she could understand all too well.  
She would have been surprised if the man in the photo was the elder McGee even though she had never seen him in the flesh or even in a photo.  
She turned it over. _"Frankie and me at J's Lake – NC". |  
_She peered closer and indeed noticed a lakeside off to the right, a small part of a boat almost visible.

Ziva didn't know how this applied to the current situation but felt it worth filing away for later and slipped the bible and photo into the inside pocket of her jacket.

She could do no more here tonight and made her way out of the apartment. She had never noticed the photo on the wall just to the right of the door before, but it looked like it had been there a while, a tiny cobweb joining the frame to the ceiling.

Tim kept a very neat apartment as she did and cleaned often. Everything immediately around the picture was spotless but the picture and frame had a substantial amount of dust clinging to it as if it had been ignored or had been purposefully avoided.

The bottom of the picture handwritten to indicate the subjects; "_Me Ellen & Frankie at J's lake – NC"._

The same man as in the other picture, but there was a young woman in this one with very striking features and wavy strawberry blond hair and bright blue eyes. The way she was looking at Tim, like he was the only person in the world, nothing else around her registering.

Tim had thought Ziva enough about computers and hacking to allow her to take this investigation further.

She needed to dig more.

She must have been spending much too much time around Gibbs, because for the first time in her life she had what can only be described as a "gut feeling". She was sure that these people, pictures somehow mattered.  
Why else would she only notice these things now?

This was not the first time that she had been in Tim's apartment but it was the first time that these things had caught her eye.  
This surprised her being the hyper aware individual that she was by nature, her life having depended on it in the past.

Channeling Gibbs Ziva thought aloud "_there are no such things as coincidences".  
_She pulled the apartment door behind her and decided to investigate the little information she now had back at the office. She could speak to Gibbs then.

_-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-_

Gibbs drained his fourth cup of coffee since he had arrived back at the office from the latest crime scene. PFC Collins or what was now left of him had been removed to autopsy.  
Ducky would have little to work with but that never stopped him before.

The young man's kitchen and living room now resembled an abattoir, almost every drop of his blood drying into the walls of his house.

The sheer rage and violence needed to cause such a mess made him shudder. This was the third victim and he could find nothing to tie them together.  
They knew that it had to be the same guy. The was about the only thing they could be sure of.

He mentally ran the checklist:

Victim 1 PFC Anderson was age 24 and squeaky clean. He had had the same girlfriend since high school; all background checks had come back clean.  
He had one brother in high school whose face would haunt Gibbs forever, when he had come to the house to break the news.  
Anderson coached the local little league team when he was free and volunteered at the local homeless shelter.  
He was devout in his beliefs and never missed mass no matter where he was or what he was doing.

Victim 2 Lieutenant Burke was aged 33 and had been married with no kids; all background checks had come back clean.  
He had struggled with alcohol issues but on speaking to his wife and everyone who had contact with him Gibbs had concluded that this was in the past.  
He regularly attended AA meetings and by all accounts had turned his life around.  
His wife appeared devastated on the news of his death.  
Her alibi his families and all known associates had checked out.

And now victim number 3 – PFC Collins had been 22 year old, single at the moment and living with his parents.  
He had recently gotten hammered at a local bar after learning that his father had been diagnosed with an inoperable brain tumor.  
Nothing unusual about his reaction, Gibbs would have done the same he thought to himself.

But Collins had gotten loud, pissed off a few of the regulars and the barman had tossed him.  
They were still conducting interviews but Gibbs was confident that Collins didn't meet such a messy end just because he spilled some guys drink.

Gibbs had yet to put the personal effects in the evidence locker for the night.  
It was past 1am and Abby would arrive in only a few hours, she could test them then.  
The evidence bags sat staring at him from beside the now cooled remains of his coffee.

Gibbs thought were interrupted by the elevator door opening in the distance and he knew it was Ziva.

Without looking up he said _"What you got for me Ziver"._

_"As you would say Gibbs, a gut feeling" _she replied.

Gibbs cocked his eyebrow at this and urged her to continue but all she did was place the contents of her pockets on his desk in silence.

Ziva placed a small photo, an old Bible and a set of rosary beads on Gibbs desk. Gibbs eyes her wearily.

"_And" _he spat.

Before Ziva had time to respond Gibbs noticed something he should have noticed before. He really was tired.  
On front of him lay four sets of rosary beads.

PFC Anderson, Lieutenant Burke and PFC Collins did have something in common. They all had on them at the time of their death a set of rosary beads.  
Gibbs scanned them all and realized something. There were four sets of beads.  
They were all identical and one of them belonged to Tim.

Gibbs ran his hands up and down the back of his head in a frustrated and repetitive motion, looked at Ziva and  
then back down at the contents of his desktop and muttered _"there's no such things as coincidences_"

**Chapter 4 will should be posted tomorrow. Bucket loads of revelations to come.**

**Toodles for now**


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4 – Remembrance.**

Ziva and Gibbs had gotten little sleep that night, opting for the floor behind their desks to catch a few hours rather than make the trip home and back to the office again.  
They managed to grab about four hours of unsettled rest before the light started to make itself known, reminding them harshly that a new day had begun and they were no further along than when they had made their makeshift bed on the office floor the previous night.

Gibbs started his day as he always did. He headed for coffee instructing Ziva as he left to drop the evidence bags to Abby's lab. _"Oh God Abby"_ he thought to himself.  
Gibbs loved Abby more than life itself but he could not handle her reaction when she found out that Tim was "missing".

He would have to be cruel to be kind and demand that she kept her mind on the job at hand.  
He would make sure that she would be the first to be informed of any developments in regards to his whereabouts.

Gibbs knew that he had to focus on the case at hand more so now, as his "gut" was screaming at him that they were tightly connected to Tim's disappearance.

He called the picture into memory that Ziva had brought from Tim's apartment. A young, slim McGee. He couldn't have been more that twenty one or two.  
But it was his face that had really stuck in McGee's mind.

He was smiling, but it didn't reach his eyes.

The eyes – the windows to the soul as the saying goes. Tim's eyes were so saying so much because he was desperately schooling them to reveal so little.

Tim looked troubled. The man – Frankie that was also present in the picture was at least a foot and a half shorter than Tim but it was as if Tim was using him to hold his own body up.  
He had never seen his junior agent look so lost. Gibbs knew that everyone had a past. He wasn't stupid and did not believe McGee to be an exception to that rule.

McGee was someone who he always classed as an open book.

McGee who when trying to lie was just awful at it Gibbs thought fondly.  
It was very hard to reconcile that old Tim, the one in the picture with the one he knew now.

It gave Gibbs heartburn just to think about it.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

Ziva left the evidence bags down to Abby's lab and made a very speedy exit. Even her highly honed Mossad skills were stressed under Abby's incessant inquisitiveness and questioning and she heard the unspoken command from Gibbs when he had instructed her to go to the lab. "_Do not discuss Tim with Abby, you know how she is"._

While Ziva had many international contacts, collected from her years as a Mossad Agent, she also had many contacts within the US.  
She had taken a picture of the Rosary beads and e-mailed to a contact who happened to be a chaplain. She hoped that he may be able to give her a clue as to their origin.

Then maybe she could start to form a plan of action.

Gibbs couldn't believe the timing of it. DiNozzo had gone and broken his leg in six places and would be out of action for at least a month. The injury so severe he required surgery.  
He could not afford to be another man down. He had yet to inform Vance of Tim's "absence" and he was starting to feel the strain.  
He was lost in his thoughts when he felt someone come into his line of vision.

A man with sandy brown hair in his early to mid thirties approached him, casually dressed in high tops and jeans and his face taut with worry.

"_I'm looking for Officer David?"_ he ventured.

Before Gibbs could reply Ziva rounded the corner and came to a sudden stop.

"_Father Corbin, what are you doing here"? _She said startled.

_"Ziva can we talk somewhere?" _he said in a strained voice.

Gibbs chose that moment to speak up. "_Ziva what the hell is going on here and who the hell is this"?_ Gibbs said growing impatient.

"_Father Corbin this is my boss Agent Gibbs. If you are here to discuss what I sent you to review for me earlier today, you may speak openly in his presence . This concerns him too" _Ziva replied.

"_Very well, but not here. Is there somewhere we can talk privately?" _replied the young chaplain.

Gibbs rose tiredly from his seat and with an air of impatience. He nodded towards the elevator and both Ziva and Father Corbin followed him wordlessly.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

Tim had been awake since before 6am and had given up on sleep. He had gotten about 4 hours in total before he had given in and finally climbed out of bed.  
He made his way downstairs and ensured he missed the creaky step purposely so as not to disturb the house's other inhabitants.

It was just about starting to get light and he decided to make his way out to the lakeshore. This place had given him peace before and he thought it wouldn't hurt to see if it could again.  
It was still as beautiful as he remembered, especially in the early dawn light. It was so still the lake appeared to be one big sheet of polished glass without a single blemish and the only sound that filled his ears as he walked to the lakes edge was that hum that fills your ears when there is a complete absence of sound.

He sighed a tired sigh and made himself comfortable, drawing his knees to his chest, and taking in the sunrise for the first time in years.

Frankie always woke before the dawn, a side effect of the life he chose to lead. He made his way quietly to his "workshop" as he did most mornings and worked on a miscellaneous woodwork project he always had on the go. His mood dictated what he chose to make, this morning he would finish the desk he had started almost two months ago.

It served to calm his nerves and work out the kinks from a restless nights' sleep.

As he measured and filed he looked out the small round window of his workshop and noticed a shape in the distance.

It was a long time since he had seen this particular figure but he knew the outline. The hunched shoulders and drooped head were visible in the distance down by the shore of the lake.

He was brought back to the time when he had first met this young man and he was gripped by an overwhelming sadness.

Frankie remembered Tim had come to this place the epitome of a lost soul. At that time he was brimming with anger and had an edge to him as if he were a bomb nearing the end of a countdown.  
In those days he intrigued and scared Frankie. Intriguing as he reminded him of his younger self and he scared him also as there were times when he was sure that he was beyond help, beyond his reach.  
He could recognize him instantly when he pulled into the driveway in the wee hours of this morning but he had changed and Frankie could not say it if was for the better.

He was still Tim, tall and with that air of vulnerability that he always carried but Frankie could notice the changes in him too.  
He wasn't shaking with that barely concealed range he demonstrated all those years ago.

In its place there was a man that was almost resigned to the evil that he had once managed to confront.

But as Frankie knew all too well that left a mark on a persons' soul, only recognizable to those who had experienced it as well and this saddened him more than he could put into words.

Tim had moved on. He could see that but he had not moved forward. One without the other was one step forward into the future and two steps back into the past.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

Tim could feel the sun start to rise as he rested his forehead on his knees. He became lost in thought.

Even in this place with the sun starting to rise in the most spectacular fashion his past came rushing back and he was assaulted with the thoughts and memories he had battled for years to suppress.

_Tim had in the past week had celebrated his 20th birthday. He and Ellen had snuck off to the lake for the weekend. Her uncle owned a cabin a couple of miles from Jacksons Lake in North Carolina.  
He couldn't take another birthday with his dad expectantly hovering for Tim to make an announcement about his future.  
His dad fully expected him to follow in his footsteps and Tim for his cowardice did not have the nerve to just come out right and say it. "Dad I'm not like you". _

_He was beyond bored of the same arguments and would never be anything but a disappointment to his Father. _

_He would have to find his own path without the support of his parents. _

_His little sister Sarah was thankfully too young to understand the ever present undercurrent of tension in the house. His parents doted on her and he was grateful for that._

_He was with Ellen and away from the world. They had met at work. They were both quality control for the local potato chip maker. They had both taken the tedious job in order to pay for college.  
They had sat side by side on the conveyor belt evening and weekends diligently extracting all the burnt potato chips from the line. It was horrible work but they had made a game out of it. _

_They ate lunch together every day and enjoyed each others' company. Before Tim knew it lunch at work had turned into movies on weekends, late night talks that lasted hours and not just wanting to see each other but needing to see each together. They had been together for over a year now and Tim couldn't remember a time before Ellen. _

_He didn't want to remember. He was in love with this women and it hurt to think of a world in which she wasn't there._

_They escaped to the lake in Tim's crappy little rust bucket of a car or "Rusty" as Ellen had affectionately dubbed it. Driving was a necessity for Tim, but it didn't matter what he drove, his taste for driving greatly diminished after the smash he had in his first car at age sixteen._

_It was just another nail in the coffin of his ever crumbling relationship with his father._

_Tim and Ellen ate, they slept and reveled in each other's company. The world melted away and there was just the two of them. _

_Tim was just fine with that. _

_They had planned to stay at the cabin for a week and four days in had decided to go camping. Ellen being so full of energy craved the great outdoors and Tim unable to deny her anything had reluctantly agreed._

_They piled her uncles' camping gear onto rusty and made their way a few miles south to start the hike. They made camp after almost three hours.  
Tim was exhausted but Ellen was as full of energy as when they had set off hours before. They ate and decided to sleep for an hour before making their way to a clearing that Ellen promised had the most amazing view of the stars. Again Tim relented but was glad that he had. _

_She was right, it was stunning. _

_They lay side by side under the clearest night sky that Tim had ever seen. He was sure that if he stretched his hand upwards far enough he would be able to pluck one from the sky._

That night was the happiest of Tim's life. It also turned out to be the worst. He stared directly in to the face of evil that night and to this day still struggled with how he was able to walk away albeit not unscathed.

He sometimes wondered why he bothered.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS

Gibbs eyed Father Corbin and Ziva willing them to speak. Corbin was even more on edge now at being herded onto an elevator.

Gibbs began "_O.k. speak" _was all he was willing to say.

Ziva took over. _"There were four sets of beads belonging to three of the victims and Tim. I e-mailed a picture to Michael – Father Corbin as I thought he may be able to shed some light.  
I would wager as you are here you must have something most important to share"_

Corbin interjected "_Ziva I obviously don't know the details of your case but after you e-mailed me I did notice something but it's not something that I could have shared over the phone"_

Gibbs raised an eyebrow urging him to continue.

"_Well that's why I came straight here. The beads themselves are of fine quality; expertly hand crafted which in of itself is not unusual. It's their composition. These are no ordinary beads.  
They differ slightly from a standard set. These are used in a sacred ritual that can only be sanctioned by the Vatican itself"_

Gibbs day just got a lot worse. There guy was now a freak was who was committing ritualistic murders adding a whole new and unwelcome dimension to the case.  
When this was over he was seriously considering retiring to his basement never to emerge!

Gibbs needed to move the conversation along his patience again wearing thin.

_"Father; Can you please get to the point" _shot Gibbs.

"_My point agent Gibbs is that these particular beads are used to conduct an ancient ceremony. They are used when conducting an Exorcism" _Corbin spat back.

Ziva just looked puzzled and Gibbs, well Gibbs just laid his head against the cold elevator wall, let out a shuddering laugh and flipped the switch to bring the elevator back to life.

Gibbs then turned to Ziva his eyes bloodshot from too much coffee and lack of sleep. _"Ziva and Father Corbin you meet me out front in 30 minutes I need to speak to Vance"_

Gibbs dragged himself up the stairs to Vance's office and stopped to take a breath before he would make his usual loud entrance.

_"How the hell do I explain to Vance that this case has just descended into a cheap horror movie and that one of my agents appears to be involved somehow"?_

Gibbs strode into Vance's office in the way only he can.

"_Leon we need to have a conversation….."_

**I apologize for the delay as I am currently experiencing problems with my internet connection but I hope you enjoyed the chapter.**

**I have also taken all comments on board and hope this has been reflected in the above chapter.**

**Chapter 5 –"The Hottest shelf in Hell"**

**This will follow on from Tim and Ellen's Hike and describe the night that changed Tim's life and Gibbs laying it out for Vance in his own very special way!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi Guys- Thankyou so much for your reviews.**

**This has been fun.**

**Hope you enjoy.**

**Chapter 5**

**The Hottest Shelf in Hell**

Leon Vance was about to leave the office for one of the many meetings he was obliged to attend on an almost daily basis.

He was getting it from all angles.

Sec Nav having been a family friend of one of the victim's parents was taking a personal in the latest case and he was not letting up.

Vance had assured him that he had his best people on this and would make sure that it would come to a speedy and as much as possible; a satisfactory conclusion for all concerned.

He had seen a lot in his years on the job as an agent and now as Director. But even he was shocked at the viciousness of these murders. Maybe it was old age or maybe he was becoming jaded but it seemed as if people were only becoming more dangerous, the world was becoming a worse place to live in not a better one.

At that moment Gibbs propelled himself through the double doors and announced himself as he always did; gruffly and straight to the point.

_"Leon we need to have a conversation….."_

_"Gibbs now is not a good time. I'm just about to leave for a meeting"_

_"Leon – This CANNOT wait…."_

_"Gibbs with you it never can. This better be good and make it quick, I'm late."_

_"Leon…"_

_"Gibbs, just come out with it, since when have you ever hesitated to make yourself heard"? _

Vance looked at his Team leader at that moment and took in his appearance. The only word that came to mind was disheveled.

Disheveled was not a word he would ever have used to describe his agent. Gibbs was rough around the edges but that was more his personality than how he was turned out.

His eyes were red rimmed and he had a couple days worth of stubble on his face. He had obviously slept in his clothes and his legendary caffeine intake was obviously not enough to sustain him.

Vance softened his features slightly and his voice, now giving him his undivided attention.

"_Jethro what is it"? _ He said.

Gibbs decided to just come right out with it. It was not lost on him how 'ridiculous' this was going to sound.

"_The three murders that we are currently investigating are without a doubt linked. Until about five minutes ago we weren't sure how"_

Before Vance could interrupt Gibbs ploughed on.

"_Each victim had one small thing in common; each had a set of hand carved Rosary beads. Ziva called in a contact and he identified the beads as handmade, not unusual in itself.  
What Father Corbin was able to tell us was that these beads were identical and used in an ancient ritual"_

Vance let out a put upon sigh and weighed the possible implications. A god damn serial killer was on the loose and to make a bad situation even worse this freak was committing ritualistic killings!

Sec Nav was going to hand his ass to him on this one.

"_Do we know anything about this 'ritual'? _Sighed Vance, not believing how bad this was getting. It couldn't get worse he prayed.

"_Corbin did some digging and…."_

_"AND" _Vance had come to the end of his patience.

"_Father Corbin believes that these beads are only used when performing an Exorcism" _Gibbs relayed stiffly, hating the way his voice sounded.

Vance was so very wrong. It had just gotten a whole lot worse. They were all now the supporting cast in a B horror movie and he was the one who had to try and explain this clusterfuck to the Sec Nav.

_Gibbs knew that he could not hide the mystery over Tim's whereabouts for long and was relieved that he had not yet come up yet in conversation with Vance._

_"Gibbs I do not need to tell you that this needs to be concluded without delay" _Vance ground out, his jaw now clenching painfully from Gibbs report.

"_I want everyone on this. Use whoever and whatever you need to catch this guy. I want your Team on this and only this. You got that" _Vance said while making eye contact with Gibbs.

"_And Gibbs" Gibbs_ turned back to Vance being almost half way to the door when he spoke. _"Yeah Leon"._

"_Get some sleep you look like crap"._

Gibbs gave a curt nod and continued out the door. He would fill in the details he had chosen to obscure from his conversation with Leon after he had taken him up on his suggestion.

He made his way to the front of the office to meet Ziva and Father Corbin. They needed to have a conversation that should not take place in the office.

Gibbs scarcely believed what he had heard himself.

There was a very good reason why Gibbs had chosen not to tell Vance about Tim's disappearance. It was not lost on him how this would look to the outside observer.

These beads had been identified as being ones that would be used in an exorcism. Problem was that there was a fourth set of beads and they belonged to Tim.

There were two conclusions to be drawn from this.

As Tim was in possession of a set of aforementioned beads he could somehow be implicated as being involved in the crimes themselves.

That was not a scenario that Gibbs would entertain. He knew beyond all doubt that Tim was not responsible for this.

Problem was that he could produce no proof to support this fact. His gut was infamous but unfortunately not admissible in a court of law and Vance would only allow this as an explanation to a point.

Tim had disappeared and that Gibbs would admit that this screamed that he had something to hide.

The other explanation was that he was in trouble and that unfortunately was what that Gibbs was now forcing himself to accept.

He had come to look on Tim as a son and as any Father could attest to '_you know when your kid is in trouble'._

He had to find him.

He could not wait for Tim to find them. Gibbs ushered Ziva and Corbin into his car and made the journey to his house in silence.  
His gut and his head were churning with the possibilities while trying to find an explanation rooted in reality and not in the territory that they were now being forced to enter.

Gibbs was very black and white in his thinking.

The new dimension that was now being added to this case was testing him mentally and emotionally.

He was a man that needed to physically confront a problem.

He dreaded the fact now that he may be forced to adapt a new approach. Gibbs was extremely set in his ways. He knew this and so did everyone else.  
But what he also knew and feared was that he would have to bend on this one.

It unnerved him but he would do whatever was necessary to bring justice to these families and to bring Tim, his boy home safely.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-

Frankie put down his tools and made his way out to the shore careful not to startle Tim. He remembered it was not a good idea to sneak up on him as he was likely to startle easily.

He was surprised when Tim called out before he had fully reached him, obviously aware of his presence.

He made the rest of the journey stopping briefly to squeeze Tim's shoulder in a comforting gesture. He knelt down beside him and made himself as comfortable as was possible.

His years were catching up on him and his limbs ached with the exertion of lowering his body to the ground beside Tim.

They sat there for what seemed like an age before Tim finally spoke.

"_I just left. I just walked out got into my car and I left" _Tim said wearily.

Frankie did not respond at first, knowing Tim like he did. No matter what he said it would do little to comfort him. It was best just to listen and let him say what he had to say.

"_It's different now. I'm not scared for myself anymore. I'm scared for them. What if I'm not strong enough? What if someone else dies this time not because I'm scared but because I'm not strong enough"?_

Frankie did not respond. Tim had always underestimated himself in every sense of the word.

Frankie had tried in vain to make him see his own strengths. He was strong but would not hear it and could not see it. He had changed in many ways but he still saw himself as a liability, a hindrance.

"_People get hurt just by knowing me" _he said.

Tim thought back to the night that changed his life and curled in to himself as he did so.

_He lay beside Ellen and watched as the stars above circled them both and he breathed contently, Ellen's hand slipping into his._

_Tim was almost falling asleep when he heard a blood curdling scream. Ellen turned to him in the dark with wide eyes confirming that she had heard it too. They both sat upright trying to get their bearings.  
Tim was just about to say he was sure it was an animal when Ellen gazed directly at him and said "Tim I know what you're about to say and that was not an animal"_

_Tim knew she was right. If he didn't know any better he could swear it was a scream of a person in extreme pain. They were in the woods on their own and while his instincts were shouting at him to run to safety and get out of here all he could think of was of Ellen. _

_"Ellen you need to get out of here" he said. _

_"Tim I'm not leaving you here, not after hearing that" she cried._

_"That was not a request. I said go now, back to the car and drive into town. Go to the local police station". _

_"And tell them what"? That my boyfriend has decided to follow a scream into the woods, into the dead of night. _

_"They'll think we're some crazy out of towners and that we mistook a person's scream for an animal's"_

_"Ellen do it, don't argue. Get to the car please!"_

_"Tim how can you ask me to leave you here, Please"?_

_"Because you trust me and you know that I'm not about to ignore something like this. Someone could be in trouble and the longer you stay here arguing the worse the situation is getting"._

_Ellen I'm begging you. Please get to the car"_

_She was crying openly now. She knew that there was no way that Tim was leaving when he thought that somebody was in trouble. It was one of the reasons that she fell in love with him. _

_The longer she stayed here arguing the more the danger increased._

_"O.K "she whispered brokenly._

_Tim signed in relief, dragged her to him and kissed her forehead gently. "Thank you. I love you, you know that right"? _

_"I know. I love you too, so much TIm"_

_Ellen turned and ran to the car, thankfully away from the scream she had heard and sadly away from Tim. But she trusted him and needed to get help as quickly as possible. _

_His life and possibly someone else's depended on it._

_Tim now satisfied that Ellen was on her way in the opposite direction and hopefully would be soon at the car, tried to find his bearings. He made his way towards the direction that he had heard the bone chilling sound only a few moments ago. _

_Luckily he had a torch and headed east. He was walking for long enough now that he was starting to doubt himself when he again heard a scream. _

_This time it wasn't as forceful but still as chilling. It had a heavy edge to it as if the person emitting the sound was having trouble doing so. His heart began to race again and he started to sweat profusely. _

_What was he doing?_

_With that thought in his head he suddenly came to a stop, a very faint light in the distance. _

_It almost looked like candle light. Tim was now standing on front of what can only be described as a shack. _

_He started to shake uncontrollably._

_He forced himself to keep going. Another human being was in there and from what he had heard earlier they sounded like they were in agony._

_He approached as carefully as he could, thankfully the darkness providing him with some sort of protection._

_He peered through a gap in the wall of the shack into the dim light and what he saw made him almost throw up on the spot. _

_There was a young woman stood in the corner. _

_She was stripped almost completely naked except for a pair of panties and sneakers. She was covered in blood and absolutely terrified. _

_Her eyes were fixed towards a point in the corner of the shack in a terrified gaze. _

_Tim lost his footing and put out his hands to break his fall, slamming into a plank of wood as he did so._

_She seemed to look straight at him. Tim straightened himself and walked around to the door._

_The young woman looked at him and pleaded. "Please help me". As she said this she looked again into the corner of the dimly lit room. _

_Tim only had his penknife for protection but it was better than nothing. He fished it from his pocket and pulled the blade forward hoping that this would give him a fighting chance if the attacker was to turn his attentions towards him._

_He made his way hesitantly inside the door and looked around with his penknife held out in front of him. _

_There didn't seem to be anyone else there._

_The girl looked at him and pleaded with again. "Please make him stop" she begged brokenly._

_"Who"? Tim breathed quietly._

_"Make him stop please"_

_"Who"? Tim said confused._

_Tim did not know what to do. _

_He was standing on front of a half naked and very terrified young girl who was pleading for his help against an attacker that he had yet to lay eyes on._

_With that that still in his mind the girl turned calmly to Tim, picked up a piece of broken glass from the floor beside her foot. _

_She raised the glass to her chest and ran it roughly down the front of her body showing no outward signs of pain. Tim could not believe his eyes. _

_Before he could shout at her to stop she turned her dead eyes towards him and in a voice he could not forget, even to this day she said._

_"Me silly. Tim she wants you to stop me"_

**_Chapter 6 should be up in the next day or two if the Internet connection decided to cooperate._**


	6. Chapter 6

**Thank you for the wonderful reviews. I hope you enjoy the next chapter.**

**Chapter 6 **

**When the past will not die.**

Gibbs knew when he needed to give in. He had slept for two hours and ordered Ziva to do the same. Surprisingly she didn't argue with him, testament that she was feeling the strain as he was.

After showering they both met Father Corbin, or Michael as he now insisted on being called in Gibbs backyard.

With coffee cup in hand he watched as the young priest looked lost in thought, absent mindedly petting Jethro who had now taken up residence at the young man's feet.

"_Michael" _Gibbs called out. "_Michael"… _

Michael turned a set of glassy and troubled eyes towards Gibbs and stood up from where he had been sitting.

"_Let's head inside. We all need to talk" _Gibbs voice was still thick with sleep when he spoke.

He poured himself another cup of coffee the consistency of tar and continued on into his living room, Ziva following close behind.

Michael decided to speak first.

"_Agent Gibbs I've been thinking long and hard about the beads that you found at the crime scenes. Believe it or not it shouldn't be too hard to trace them back to who actually carved them.  
They are such an obscure item that there can only be a few places where they were made and then you should have little problem in taking your investigation further"._

_"I hear a 'but' coming" _sighed Gibbs.

"_Look Agent Gibbs, I'm worried that you do not fully realize what you're dealing with here"_

_"Look Father" _Gibbs said putting emphasis on the word Father. "_You do not have to tell me what we are dealing with here.  
I have three dead officers, three families devastated and a missing agent, so don't lecture me on matters YOU know nothing about" _Gibbs slammed his coffee cup down on the table and left the room in a huff.

Michael followed him out to the backyard to find him on bended knee scratching Jethro's ears and lost in thought.

_"Agent Gibbs, are you a man of faith"? _Asked Michael.

"_What has that got to do with anything"? _Huffed Gibbs.

"_From where I'm standing it has everything to do with everything" _Michael said more forcefully.

Gibbs didn't know where this conversation was going but one thing he did know; Now was not the time to be entering into deep philosophical and theological discussions.  
It wasn't his style and while he actually liked the young priest.

He had neither the time nor the patience to go down this particular route.

"_Look as I said to you before Agent Gibbs I don't know the details of your case here and I don't fully expect to. But what I do know is that you are dealing with forces you don't fully understand"_

_"Look Father I respect the clergy, doesn't mean I have to agree with them" _Gibbs said.

"_Agent Gibbs, I'm not as naive and blind as to think that everyone believes in a 'higher power' but that doesn't mean that it doesn't exist. And therein lies the problem.  
You are going headfirst into something that you know nothing about and even worse you don't believe it exists to begin with"._

_"Exorcism is not what you think it is. I'm sure the first thing that comes to mind when you think of it is green vomit and cheap special effects"._

Michael paused and let out a shaky laugh.

_"Agent Gibbs it is about as far from that as you can get"._

He continued on before he ran out of nerve. The subject matter made him very uneasy.

_"It is an ancient ritual and extremely dangerous. It is only allowed to be performed when permission has been granted from the Vatican itself.  
It is lethal when performed incorrectly and even when it is being performed correctly. It is not unusual for the person who is conducting the exorcism or the recipient to die". _

_The most important component of an exorcism is that the person who is performing it has faith, belief, without this they are most certainly fated to die.  
I appreciate that you may totally discount everything I have just told you but I really hope that you don't. Lives depend on it"_

_"Father I believe in what I can see, what I can touch. I believe that there are enough physical evils in the world without having to call more into existence.  
I will solve this but I will do it my own way. I am the way I am and I fight what I can see, face to face and toe to toe"._

_"I hope it's enough Agent Gibbs, for your sake and everyone else's"._

Ziva appeared in the back patio entrance at that moment, arms folded and with a steely look in her eyes.

"_Gibbs have you decided what we are to do yet"?_

_"Ziver you head back to the office. I want you to search McGee's computer and his desk. Find anything you think can lead us to him. Michael you're with me"_

Gibbs drove in silence with his passenger to Tim's apartment. He let himself and Michael in with a spare key he had had for the past couple of years now and walked purposefully into the middle of the room.

He started to scan the area looking for a clue, anything that would help him with his search for answers.

Gibbs eyes were drawn towards the picture near to the door. A young Tim with an older gentlemen and a very pretty young girl looked back at him.  
He scanned the bottom of the photo "_Me Ellen & Frankie at J's lake – NC"._

Michael came up to stand behind Gibbs looking at the picture on the wall over the team leader's right shoulder. He leaned closer making Gibbs feel slightly uncomfortable. Gibbs liked his personal space.

He was about to comment when the young priest let out a small gasp, walked around Gibbs and towards the photo to take a closer look.

_"It must be him although a little older" _Michael said quietly.

"_You know who that is" _questioned Gibbs?

"_There is not a priest trained within the last twenty five years who does not know who this man is Agent Gibbs" _breathed Michael still obviously in shock.

"_That is Father Frank Dyer and he is what you might call a legend in our circles. He has probably performed more exorcisms than any other priest in the world still living today.  
He is an outcast who works outside the church now and is only spoken about in hushed tones"._

Gibbs was both relieved and horrified. They finally had some information that might help to locate Tim. But it was beginning to look more and more like Tim was in this thing up to his neck.

Gibbs hoped he could protect him still believing McGee to be a victim in this somehow. He would not allow his mind to explore any other possibility.

"_Where is this Father Frank Dyer" _Gibbs queried hopefully.

"_His last known whereabouts were in North Carolina and that fits with this picture on the wall here. J's lake in NC. That must be it" said Michael._

Gibbs was hopeful for the first time in two days. He called Ziva and told her to gear up. They were heading to North Carolina having their first lead in days.

"_Agent Gibbs is that you're missing agent in the picture" asked_ Michael_?_

Gibbs only nodded not willing to go in to more detail just yet.

"_What is a federal agent doing with one of the most famous exorcists in history? You don't think…."_

_"No I don't think FATHER, and neither do you. Tim has nothing to do with this. I WOULD ASK YOU TO KEEP YOUR OPINIONS ON THIS CASE TO YOURSELF. ARE WE UNDERSTOOD"?  
_Michael did not answershocked by the man's outburst.

_"I SAID ARE WE UNDERSTOOD"? roared Gibbs._

_"Understood Agent Gibbs" _Michael replied through clenched teeth.

_"Let's go then. Be ready in an hour" _ordered Gibbs

"_What…you mean"? Spluttered Michael._

_"Yes we are heading to North Carolina, are you in or not"? _Spat Gibbs impatiently.

Before Michael could answer Gibbs had disappeared out the door. Michael was stunned by today's events. When he had gotten out of bed this morning he had no idea where his day was going.

It had started like any other morning and now he was going to finish it on a four hour road trip with an infuriating federal agent on the hunt for a legendary exorcist.

One thing that Michael had in common with Gibbs that he didn't yet know about was that he was also a firm believer in there being _'no such things as coincidences'._

He shook off his shock and left the apartment to try and organize himself for the impromptu road trip he had apparently just agreed to.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-

Ellen looked out the small kitchen window to see two familiar figures down by the lake. Both Frankie and Tim had been sitting side by side for a couple of hours now in what looked like a companionable silence.

Ellen took in the slope of Tim's shoulders and how his head hung low.

She recognized the tension is his body even from this distance and took the time to think of the changes she had seen in him in their brief meeting the night before.

She felt bad about what she said to Tim. The formality she adopted was more to protect herself than to hurt him, but she had failed miserably. He hadn't changed a huge amount, physically anyway.

He had lost a lot of weight but it looked good on him. He still had those big green eyes that she used to almost drown in all those years ago, but there was coldness to him now that she did not recognize.  
She could see he was carrying a lot inside and he was woeful at trying to hide it. He momentarily let his guard down when he saw her but not for long.

He smiled briefly when he had laid eyes on her first but he had adjusted his features very quickly and so she had done the same.  
She had adopted a formal greeting and her stomach had twisted when she had seen his reaction.

He had not been called Father McGee in a long time and for good reason. She hadn't the nerve to go to him and slap him across the face. T  
he compulsion had almost overwhelmed her after the initial shock at seeing him had worn off. She had done the next best thing and had thrown his past back in his face.  
It was a cowardly thing to do and she felt ashamed.

She could see he still blamed himself for what happened all those years ago. But what had almost killed him, truly sent him over the edge was his guilt over what had happened to her and to them.

She had forgiven him but he could not or would not forgive himself.

She had let him go. It had almost destroyed her but she could not be with this broken person, this shell. He had been quick to fly off the handle with everyone and everything.  
He had crawled inside a bottle for almost three months at one stage. She couldn't reach him and it broke her heart to admit that she had at times been scared of him and for him.

Before Ellen could get lost any further in her thoughts the phone rang.

It was the local store owner. Mark was an elderly gentleman who ran the only store in town. His outward appearance belied the sharp intellect underneath. Nothing ever got past him.

He told Ellen that a gruff silver haired man and a fed up looking younger gentleman had come in to the store asking questions about Frank.  
When Mark had played coy the older man had flashed his badge and demanded to know if he had any information.  
Mark had sent him in the general direction of the lake but with vague enough directions that it would be a couple of hours, or at least nightfall before they would make it to the lake, if at all.

Ellen thanked Mark and hung up. She made her way outside to see both Frankie and Tim walking back towards the house.

"_Frankie, Mark just called, said that someone was asking questions in town about you and looking for directions to the lake"_

_"Did he say who Ellen" _asked Frank?

"_Just a middle aged silver haired man who got cranky and started flashing his badge"_

"_You have got to be kidding" _cried Tim.

Both Frank and Ellen looked at Tim with a curious expression. He had now dropped onto his hunkers and held his head in his hands.

He stood up just as quickly and strode past them both in to the house.

Frank followed Tim into catching up with him in the hall way.

_"Tim what's going on? Will you just stop and talk to me"?_

"_I can't Frankie there's not time. I have to leave now" _spat Tim.

_"What's going on? Where are you going" _Frankie was totally confused.

"_That person who was asking questions in town about you. That's my boss and he's on his way here. I need to leave now. I need to think, make a plan and I can't do that here, not with Gibbs on his way"_

_"Tim STOP running away. Only a couple of hours ago you were angry and upset because you did just that and walked out. You're doing it again. You're running away"_

Tim was furiously gathering the few things he had come with the night before and tried for a fast getaway.

He looked at both Frank and Ellen with a broken expression.

"_I'm sorry guys. I need time to think. I have to get out of here" _Tim was almost frantic now.

He made his way through the kitchen and was rounding the corner towards the back door when a familiar voice rang out.

"_McGee WHERE THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE GOING?"_

_TBC…_


	7. Chapter 7

**Hi Guys **

**Thanks for the reviews. As I aim to please here is the next chapter ahead of schedule **

**for MissCallyLilly and cuddles1234XD.**

**Bon appétit!**

**Chapter 7**

**Facing the past.**

Tim was like a cornered animal and resorted to old behaviors without hesitation. He paused almost imperceptibly for a second and then instinct kicked in.

He barreled through Gibbs almost sending him to the floor and came out the back door at speed.

He did not bank on Ziva.

They were almost nose to nose before he realized she was there. Any fantasy he had of getting out of here had now evaporated.

"_Tim I am glad to see you are safe" _her eyebrows were knitted together as she spoke, her tone was curious.

"_Ziva I was just leaving so if you could move out of my way I'd be grateful" _Tim tried.

"_Make me" _was all the she said in response.

Tim visibly deflated and now sat tiredly on the spot he had stood a moment ago. Ziva sat beside him in silence just glad that he was here and from what she could tell he was safe.

A set of feet appeared in Tim's eye line and he didn't have to look up to know that it was Gibbs.

God Tim felt exhausted.

Tim just didn't have the energy for this right now and longed hopelessly for a drink, anything that would bring that old illusion of calmness and normality that he missed so much.

Gibbs was stunned to say the least.

His young agent had never acted that way towards him before. He had left a crime scene when on a case and told nobody where he was going.  
He had made a concerted effort to avoid being found adding to the amount of trouble he was already in and now this.

Gibbs couldn't believe what was happening.

He was going to run again. He had no intention of contacting them. His blood was starting to boil with the implications. He had put his trust in this man.  
He considered him a son and this was how he repaid him.

Jethro Leroy Gibbs was devastated.

Devastated or no he was going to get answers and he didn't care how.

The Senior Agent had a few phone calls to make before he dived headfirst into this mess. He gave Ziva a look that indicated for her to stay close until he came back.

He called Vance to explain what had happened. At one point had to hold the phone away from his ear he was screaming at him so loudly.  
Gibbs had finally explained that to add to the fact that they were now in North Carolina Tony was also out of commission for the foreseeable future.

Vance had eventually calmed down with a stern warning to Gibbs to fix this. He would have to do some serious work in order to prove to Vance that McGee's badge and gun did not need belong locked up in his desk.

Gibbs had briefly called Abby to let her know that McGee was safe and that she was not to drive out here. He needed her there to hold the fort and ended the call offering her his place to stay.  
Jethro needed a friendly face and that Abby could help Tim by taking care of his beloved pet until they got back.

Gibbs had only spoken to Tony for a minute. He was obviously on some pretty strong painkillers. He had told Gibbs he loved him and giggled like a schoolgirl before he had finally hung up.

Ziva had taken a seat in the corner of the kitchen her gaze trained totally on Tim. Frank had taken the opposite corner of the room choosing the rocking chair he had made only five years ago deciding to stay close. It was both in support to Tim and to make sure that Tim didn't resort to bolting as he had tried to do earlier.

Father Corbin had decided to take a long walk by the lake. This was a beautiful place even if he had gone through the road trip to hell to get here.  
He would stay close but for now needed to clear his head and stretch his legs.

Ellen stood with her back to the sink, her arms folded and her head bowed in deep thought.

Tim was pacing the kitchen like a caged animal. Any attempt that anybody had made to get him to relax and sit down had fallen on deaf ears.  
Frank and Ellen looked on worriedly knowing that he was getting extremely stressed. Ziva was becoming steadily more confused at was unfolding but chose to remain silent.

When Tim got stressed he tended to explode and it was the ugliest of sights.

Gibbs walked back into the kitchen to an audience and to Tim. He could see he was extremely agitated but Gibbs wanted answers and come hell or high water he was gonna get them.

"_McGee sit down now" _bellowed Gibbs.

Tim stopped pacing and looked back at Gibbs. He had heard him but he was not listening.

"_Fine then we can do this standing. And we will do this McGee" _he ground out.

Tim took that moment to look at Gibbs, truly look at him and then he did something that shocked both Gibbs and Ziva.

McGee burst out laughing.

It was hysterical and high pitched and seemed to go on forever. Nobody dared to speak.

Tim stood in the same spot but he had now risen up to his full height. He was completely still.

He didn't even seem to be breathing. He took a step towards a shocked Gibbs. Their eyes were locked in a silent battle.

Gibbs spoke first.

"_Why McGee? You disappear without a word. No way of contacting you, no way of knowing if you're safe. You left a crime scene. I trained you better than that.  
I'm disappointed in you Tim. I thought you had more respect for me, for the team than that? You could lose everything over this" Gibbs_ kept his voice even when he spoke.

Tim spoke with a sneer clearly evident in his voice and Gibbs could not believe what he was seeing, what he was hearing.

Who was this person?

"_Respect! Disappointment! Ever think that you should respect me more? Gibbs, Well? No I didn't think so. Don't you dare stand there and speak to me about disappointment.  
I know what it's like to be disappointed because that's how I'm feeling right now. You would think that I had proven myself to you over and over again. But it's not enough with you. It never is.  
And respect, you respect me about as much as something you stepped in"_

_"After all these years, after all that we've been through and you think that I just abandoned you. Did it ever once occur to you that I was trying to protect you? That by leaving I was desperate to fix this to make sure you were all safe? WELL GIBBS! _

_"FOR CHRISTS SAKE ANSWER ME"_

Tim was screaming by this time. The room was in shock except for Ellen and Frankie who just shook their heads sadly, like this was nothing new.

Ziva started to stand and make her way over when Tim's hand shot out in a warning gesture.

"_Ziva sit down. Gibbs is a big boy. I know how fond you are of telling me and everyone else how easy you could take us down but you would be better off not testing me right now"_

Ziva while shocked did back off, more from Tim's words than the implied threat. She knew if needs be she could subdue Tim, but something at the back of her mind made her give pause.

Tim believed that he could stand up to her. That belief alone was enough to make Ziva sit back down.

"_What the hell do you expect me to think Tim? _Gibbs shouted back.

"_Anything Gibbs, think anything you want but not that. Not that I abandoned you, the team. And as for you worrying about my career, about me losing everything.  
No need to worry.I lost everything a long time ago" _Tim was now looking at Ellen when he spoke. The pain was evident on his face.

Gibbs went to approach Tim. This obviously went deeper that he yet knew about. He was starting to feel really out of the loop.

Ziva shared a look with him confirming that she felt the same way about this evenings events.

"_Gibbs, Ziva you need to leave. There's nothing for you here. I can't help you. I can't help anyone. Please just go" _and with that Tim was gone.

Frank approached Gibbs and finally introduced himself. He thought now not the best time to discuss the scene that had just unfolded.  
Everyone was tired and Frank and Ellen made sure they all had a bed for the night.

When Michael had finally appeared back at the house he had almost passed out when he came to face with Frank. The only way that Frank could calm him down and get him to turn in for the night was with a promise that they would talk together in the morning.

The house prepared itself for a restless night's sleep. Tim didn't even bother getting in to bed. Sleep would not come to him tonight and so he made his way down to the lake for a sliver of solace if he could find it.

Tim looked out on to the lake. It was beautiful at this time of night. He felt like he was the only person in the world when he was in this place.  
It sought to calm him but there was no getting away from the history, the memories. The place was drenched with them, some welcome but a lot were not.

Tim felt someone approach. It had to be Ellen as his nose was filled with the scent of mangoes. She still used the same shampoo after all those years.

She sat down beside Tim and apologized. Tim went to waive off her apology but she stopped him and caught his hand bringing it to her lap.

"_No Tim I'm sorry. I'm sorry that I didn't just say the words but I was too caught up in my own grief"_

Ellen dragged Tim to his feet and pulled him in a direction he knew all too well. He knew where she was taking him and he didn't think he had the strength to face it.  
He had attempted this journey on his own before many times but had never made it all the way there.

"_Ellen I can't, please I can't" _Tim's voice was thick with unshed tears and had an edge of panic to it.

"_Tim come with me please" _He reluctantly gave in and let her lead him away.

They came to a stop under a huge tree and Tim just broke down. Ellen hugged him from behind keeping him from falling the entire way onto the grass.

He shook and wailed like an animal. The first time that Ellen had ever seen him cry openly about this. Tim had always felt that this was something he was not allowed to do.  
It was a self imposed punishment, that he had somehow lost the right to cry when he failed this person so badly.

He finally stilled and came back to his surroundings. Ellen sensed his embarrassment. She wrapped his arm around him and led him back to the house away from the small grave.

They sat in silence at opposite ends of the kitchen. The only sound that could be heard was the large clock above the doorway.

It was almost four but they were both in silent agreement that sleep was out of the question and instead started the coffee.

Ellen turned towards Tim trying to get his attention but he was miles away.

"_'Tim it's o.k. to feel this. It's o.k. to be sad" Ellen_ tried but got nothing.

She continued to speak hoping that something she said would get through. Something, just anything that would alleviate the crushing guilt that was weighing him down like an anvil.

He stood abruptly, angrily and made his way over to her. She hated herself for it but she flinched and stood back. She had just made it worse.

"_See even you don't trust me" shouted_ Tim. _"You're terrified of me for God's sake" _

_"Tim you know damn well it's not you I'm afraid of. I can't help how I react. It's now you and you know it"_

_"Ellen why do you bother, you more than anyone has a right to hate me. Just hate me it's easier"_

_"Tim you know I could never hate you"_

_"_JESUS ELLEN I HATE ME SO MUCH I WANT TO DIE"

"_Why Tim, why do you hate yourself so much" _pushed Ellen?

_"I MURDERED MY OWN SON ELLEN. I MURDERED OUR LITTLE BOY" _he let out in a choked scream.

Tim turned towards the door to see Gibbs standing open mouthed and started to mutter uncomfortably about the smell of coffee.

It was as if he had just woken up when he finally looked between Tim and Ellen.

He continued past the two and straight towards the coffee pot pouring himself what could only be considered a bucket of coffee and made his way to the table.

"_McGee you are to explain to me right now what the hell is going on. I am not leaving here and neither are you until you explain what the hell you were just talking about. NOW SIT DOWN AND TALK"_

_TBC…_


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 9 & 10 are the payoffs and I have plans for everything to be revealed between the two. All the hints and twists that have been peppered though out the  
previous chapters will be explained in full and then its show time for Tim and the Team.**

**If you have any suggestions or questions I would be happy to try and work them into the next chapters.**

**And as always – If you like please review.**

**Chapter 8**

**The truth shall set you free.**

Tim knew that it was in futility to resist. Gibbs was like a dog with a bone and Tim for all his failings realized he owed him an explanation. He quietly made his way over to the table and slumped down exhaustedly in to the seat. Ellen poured them both a cup of coffee and made herself as comfortable as possible.

It was going to be a long morning.

He studied the backs of his hands and then seemed to move to scrutinize the grain of the kitchen table before he took a deep breath and began to speak.

_"So where do we start" _Tim muttered weakly?

"_How about with you screaming at the top of your lungs that you murdered your own son" _Gibbs shot back?

Tim clenched his jaw and raised a hand in Ellen's direction as a warning not to interject. Tim knew what she was going to say and he didn't need meaningless platitudes; now more than ever.  
It was time he faced what he had done and let people see the real McGee, not the one they thought they all knew.

Gibbs remained silent waiting for Tim to respond.

"_I opened a door I wasn't strong enough to close and my son Charlie paid the price" _

_"Care to elaborate McGee" _Gibbs replied carefully?

"_Not really but I suppose I owe you that much" _said Tim. His voice had taken on a dull edge now as if all the fight had been sucked right out of him.

_"There are three victims on the current case; Anderson, Burke and Collins. I'm sure you've realized by now that they are all connected" _Gibbs just nodded in response afraid that if he spoke the tentative truce between them would be broken.

Tim had just breezed past the bombshell he had dropped only moments ago but Gibbs would not let it go.

He would bide his time and was relieved that Tim was finally opening up to him.

"_Well I only realized the night I left Collins place to come back here. I couldn't believe I hadn't seen it before. The pattern was there from the beginning"_

_"What pattern McGee? I know the cases are connected but I think we may be on two different pages here"?_

_"Each crime scene as you will no doubt remember was a bloodbath. I was finally only able to connect it at the last scene. The last piece fell in to place and I knew I had to get out of there.  
I needed to lead it away from you"_

Gibbs was lost now.

"_What piece Tim? What you were you leading away from us"?_

_"In each of the crime scenes, a large portion of the area where the bodies were found was drenched in blood. What you could not see was what only became clear to me just two days ago.  
There was a message at each crime scene but only when the last murder was committed did it actually reveal itself"_

Gibbs was actually leaning forward at this stage almost half standing out of his seat. He wished Tim would just get to the point.

"I .AM .WAITING."

Tim enunciated each word with a palpable dread. He shuddered as he spoke and Gibbs was sure that Tim was waiting for the roof to fall in or something equally as dramatic to unfold.

Ellen gasped and knocked her coffee cup over as Tim spoke. She was shaking and she had taken on the color of chalk. Tim stood up to make his way round to her but before he could she had bolted from the room.

Gibbs was anxious to address the giant white elephant in the room. McGee had pronounced himself to be a murderer and of his own son no less.  
Now Gibbs knew very well that he did not function well without coffee but he also knew that his hearing was perfect.

His team could attest to that.

He didn't believe for a second that Tim would murder a child and certainly not his own but McGee seemed to be sincere in his proclamation. He had shouted loudly enough that Gibbs head was still pounding.

McGee had a kid at some point and Gibbs had known nothing about it.

How much was Tim actually hiding?

"_Boss…" _He almost sounded normal when he had said that. It was the first time that he had addressed Gibbs like that since he had arrived unannounced the day before.  
Almost like the old McGee, whoever that was?

It was almost six am at by now and the phone had started to ring, jolting them from the moment.

Tim picked up and Gibbs watched as his features hardened and he listened intently to the person on the other end.

He ended the call by saying "_I'll be on my way"_

_"Tim what is it"?_

_"That was Mark's grandson"_

_"The old guy who runs the store in town"?_

_"Yeah he went in this morning to open up and found Mark in the back. Someone cut him up pretty bad, looks like he's been there most of the night. Local Doctor is on his way. A  
n ambulance will take forever to get there. It's not easy to find this place as you know yourself. He was asking for Fr Dyer"_

_"I'll get Ziva; you get Frank and meet me out front in five. We should head over there and see what we can find"_

Tim did a quick search of the house and concluded that Frankie had gone on one of his early morning walks. It could be hours before he was back and from the little sense he could get from Mark's grandson they really didn't have much time.

Gibbs had met Ziva on her return from a run and after a quick explanation they had piled into Gibbs car along with Tim and sped over towards the store.

The local Sheriff had been out hunting the night before and would not arrive for a couple of hours yet so they made their way inside surprised by the scene they were greeted with.

NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-

The store itself was as Gibbs and Ziva had remembered from the previous day. There didn't seem to be any outward signs of a struggle. Everything was in its place.  
Stock was undisturbed and Gibbs noted that the cash register remained untouched. Marks grandson Joe was in shock in the corner sitting on an old chest with his head in his hands.

Gibbs approached him to see if he get any information but before he could he heard muffled shouts coming from the back room.

Tim, Gibbs and Ziva made their way towards the stockroom. The local Doc had made a makeshift bed on the storeroom floor with some blankets and Mark was raising hell.  
Tim could see blood seeping through his pale blue check shirt and bent forward for a closer look.

"_Timothy…Tim where's Frank? I need to see Frank" _Mark had a feverish and terrified look in his eyes.

"_Tim I'm dying I need you to help me"_

"_Mark you are not dying" _But Mark was not hearing him and all attempts to calm him down were in vain.

"_Who did this to you" _Tim tried. But Mark just pulled his shirt open and Tim almost passed out in shock.

McGee was taking large gulping breaths trying desperately not to fall apart. He needed to be Agent McGee now.

He needed to focus.

Carved into Marks chest were the words that were haunting his dreaming and now waking world. They were etched into his very soul.

'I AM WAITING'

Mark grabbed for Tim again and pleaded with him now. Gibbs and Ziva had taken up positions behind the young agent watching what was unfolding in horror.  
Tim was so caught up in the nightmare before him that he had no idea they were even in the room.

"_Not who did this Tim, but what" _Marks breathing was becoming increasingly labored and Tim knew that he was in fact now dying.

Mark pulled Tim towards him desperately and whispered into his ear.

Tim only shot back up and replied in a panicked voice "_I can't do that Mark, Please don't ask me to do this. It's not who I am anymore. It will be meaningless. Just empty words"_

_"You and I both know that's a crock of shit" _Mark was coughing painfully now, each breath he took becoming more infrequent and his body shook with the effort.

Tim now knew he had no choice. He had to do this. If he could give Mark some sort of comfort he had to do it not just as a priest but as a person.

He nodded quietly and leaned over Mark.

Ziva and Gibbs looked on not knowing what was actually happening but that did not stop them from feeling that they were intruding on something deeply personal and private.

Tim knelt before Mark and began to recite something that he would never have thought a couple of days ago would be asked of him again.

He began the last rites.

"O HOLY HOSTS ABOVE, I CALL UPON THEE AS A SERVANT OF JESUS CHRIST, TO SANCTIFY OUR ACTIONS THIS DAY IN PREPARATION FOR THE FULFILLMENT OF THE WILL OF GOD"

Tim was shaking while he spoke both in fear and regret both for himself and Mark because the words were just that – words and he was risking both their souls by doing this.

"I CALL UPON THE GREAT ARCHANGEL RAPHAEL, MASTER OF AIR, TO OPEN THE WAY FOR THIS TO BE DONE. LET THE FIRE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT NOW DESCEND THAT THIS BEING MIGHT BE AWAKENED TO THE WORLD BEYOND AND THE LIFE OF EARTH, AND INFUSED WITH THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT"

Tim continued on like this for a few more minutes before he finally bowed his head and came to a stop.

Mark had slipped into unconsciousness and the Doctor had that look on his face only Doctors have when all hope is lost. He made a show of checking Marks vitals but it was more to keeps his hands occupied than anything else at this point.

Gibbs had seen enough and stormed out from behind the counter. Ziva followed him trying to comprehend what was happening.

"_Gibbs what is going on?"_

_"The lies just keep on coming. Tim has been lying to us not for the past couple of days but for years. I don't know who that person is in there. I trusted him with my life but I feel like I've never met him. He betrayed me and the team" _Gibbs was pacing a hole in the well trodden wooden floor of the store and Ziva was frustrated to say the least

"_What are you talking about Gibbs? What has brought this latest outburst on"?_

At that moment Tim reappeared with his hands in his pockets.

"_He's gone"_

Gibbs was genuinely sorry to hear that but his reflective mood was short lived.

"_So what should we call you now Agent McGee? Is your name even Tim?_

_"_Gibbs please calm down. This is getting us nowhere. Will someone please explain what is going on"? Ziva pleaded.

_"ASK FATHER MCGEE HERE" _And with that Gibbs was gone out the front door almost taking it off the hinges as he did so.

"_Father McGee…. You are a priest"._

Tim thought for a moment that he never seen a person's eyebrows reach so far upwards before.

Ziva was in absolute shock.

She considered herself a master of human behavior. It was required in her line of work but never in her wildest dreams did she think that her partner Timothy McGee could have hidden such a huge part of himself from them all.

Shock was replaced with sadness.

_"Ziva I know you have a lot of questions right now but they are going to have to wait. I need everybody to go back to the lake. Something is coming for us and I am going to need everyone's help if we have any chance of stopping it"_

She knew Tim was right but she had to agree with Gibbs on this and began to feel his anger. They were a team and she had believed over time that they were a family.  
Every family had secrets but this was huge.

She looked at the man that stood before her and her anger suddenly deflated.

She made a decision there and then.

She would continue to trust him like as she had always done. Everyone knew that Tim was the worst liar in the world. He had not outright lied to them but he had never told them about his past.

She was many things but hypocrite was not one she wished to add to the list. She knew what it was to have a past and for it to be a constant weight around your neck.

He had hidden it better than she ever could have.

One thing she was sure of was that Tim has not hidden this to hurt them. He must have had a damn good reason to keep this from them.  
They were both very different people but they did share a very special bond and they would die to protect it.

They would do anything to protect their family.

TBC…


	9. Chapter 9

**Thank you so much for all your wonderful reviews.**

**Earthdragon & Ghostrider : You beat me to it! I hope the below will satisfy your appetite for some Gibbs slapping for a change. I totally agree with what you both said.  
Gibbs needs to take a very long, hard look at himself. **

**Tim has a few choice words for him below.**

**This chapter is very freakin long by anyone's standards so apologies in advance.**

**I couldn't find a good place break so I kept going until I felt the chapter ended itself.**

**I hope you enjoy and if you do please review and let me know.**

**NCIS does not belong to me : (**

**Chapter 9**

**Hearing and listening are two different things…**

Less than two hours after they had arrived at the store the local sheriff had returned from his hunting trip and he took no time in asserting his authority. He muttered angrily under his breath about jurisdictions and city folk. Tim and Ziva quickly said their goodbye's to Mark's grandson with a promise that they would return to help anyway they could as quickly as possible.

The drive back to the lakeside was done in an oppressive silence. The only sound was the occasional screeching of brakes as Gibbs seemed to take his anger out on the road.  
He savagely took the corners leading back to the lake house with no one daring to object or comment.

Leroy Jethro Gibbs was almost vibrating with rage. The couple of hours he had spent wandering in the woods close to the store had done nothing to quell it.  
What it had done though was given him some perspective. Self reflection was a pass time that Gibbs avoided as much as cheap coffee. Both things had unpleasant side effects.

But rule 51 taunted him and he began to itch with the implications.

'Sometimes you're wrong'. Gibbs was a great believer in his rules but he was not ready to accept that rule 51 applied to him just yet.

He had a lot of thinking to do on his part and McGee had a lot hell of a lot of explaining to do on his.

Gibbs seemed to have exited the car before it had even come to a full stop and barreled into the kitchen straight towards the coffee machine.  
He sighed in relief as he realized it was fresh and poured himself a generous cup.

Fr Dyer and Corbin had been deep in discussion in Frank's workshop when the car had pulled up and they both registered the tension and obvious unease of the occupants as they filed into the house.

Tim stood in the corner of the kitchen with his back to the wall and his arms folded protectively on front of him.  
Gibbs felt the others approach and did not bother to turn around when he relayed the news of the morning's events.

Frank said nothing.

Death had always been a constant in his life but that did not make the news any easier to hear. What he had come to realize over many hard years was that wailing and shaking his fists at the injustice of it all would do no good. It never had in the past.

Ziva, Fr Corbin, Fr Dyer, Gibbs and Tim stood around the room in an awkward silence.

Tim broke it first "_I never lied to you Boss"._

The room held its breath waiting for the events of the last few days to explode but it was anticlimactic to say the least and barely audible.

"_I know son"_

Gibbs was facing the window when he spoke, sipping his coffee and staring out at the still water of the lake as if trying to somehow emulate the calmness he saw before him.

He spun around to face Tim and nodded towards the table indicating for him to sit. Tim complied and took up from where he had left off this morning.

"I. AM. WAITING" McGee looked at Gibbs silently imploring him to understand, to listen. Gibbs could sense what he was asking and allowed him a tiny nod for him to continue.

"_This did not start when Anderson was murdered. It started more than ten years before. The first time that I came to this place was with Ellen and we had come here to get away from everything.  
It was my birthday and we were staying in her uncle's cabin. A couple of nights in to the trip we decided to go camping"_

Tim's face took on a wistful look as he seemed to be stuck in a memory.

"_That's the last night that I can remember what it actually felt to be happy. It was the happiest and I realized soon after; the worst night of my life"_

Tim had hidden his past for long enough. He didn't feel as if he needed to broadcast it and he was not apologizing for it. The people in this room needed to hear it if there was any chance that they would be able to ride out the storm that was coming.

Tim came back to the present and schooled his features to continue. Gibbs had seen him for a moment as he must have been before his life had been ripped from him.  
He looked young and his face had relaxed in a genuine smile. It was gone in an instant and Gibbs gut churned with regret.

The young man continued to recall what had happened. His gaze was fixed on the wall behind Gibbs left shoulder.

"_It was a sound I will never forget. I found her eventually but even though she was alive I knew it was too late. I couldn't see anything it was so dark but she kept pleading with me to make him stop.  
I couldn't believe my eyes. She picked up a piece of glass from the floor beside her foot. She was terrified but it wasn't her anymore. She ran…." _Tim breathing had quickened and he lost all color from his face.  
He had broken out in a sweat but forced himself to continue.

"_She sliced herself open from the base of her throat to her stomach and never made as much as sound"._

Gibbs was starting to feel sick. He couldn't believe that this young man had experienced something so traumatic. He calmed himself as best he could and made sure that he did not outwardly show his discomfort at what he was hearing. He feared that it was about to get much worse. He could not have begun to imagine how much of an understatement that was.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-

Tim looked at Gibbs as if trying to prepare him.

_"Boss you know I've never lied to you right"?_

_"I know that there are things that I haven't spoken of but I've had my reasons. I'm not going to apologize for that, especially not to you. You've have kept the best part of your life a secret from all of us and you would argue you had your reasons. I'm expecting, No I'm demanding the same courtesy. I kept my past my past to protect the people I love. You kept your past your past not because you were afraid to talk about it but because if you did you couldn't hide behind it anymore. That hard and introverted exterior you built over the years to protect yourself. I chose to walk away from my past because all it brought me was pain.  
You choose to live in yours because guilt and pain are the only emotions that you know how to deal with. What's worse is you know it too. You choose it because 'the devil you know'…"_

"_How can you McGee profess to be a man of God and still carry a gun"? _Answer me that Tim.

Tim let out a shuddering laugh and the sound sounded so wrong it made the other occupants of the room recoil for a moment.

Tim looked at Frank and back again to Gibbs. "_I have never professed to be a man of God Gibbs. I chose a way to fight evil that at the time was the only one open to me but you'll be happy to know I was well and truly disabused of that notion. I paid the highest price for my ignorance. I managed to destroy everything I touched, so I chose another way. Although I will never be able to make amends for what I did or rather did not manage to do. I will spend every waking moment for the rest of my life trying to be better. I won't let the evil that has taken hold win. I can't and won't let what has happened in the past ruin everyone and everything around me._

Gibbs was stunned but not because of Tim's nerve at speaking to him like that. Because he now had to own rule 51. Tim was right and Gibbs was having a hard time swallowing it.  
He had let his youngest agent down by choosing to dwell on his actions rather than the reasons behind it and he may now lose him because of it.  
He had judged McGee and sentenced him in his own head for the very things that he himself was guilty of.

He felt sick.

_"I know how this is going to sound Gibbs but I haven't the time or the patience to make you understand or even listen. What you chose to believe is up to you.  
But remember what I said and what you know to be true even if you believe nothing else you are about to hear today. I never lied to you"_

Tim did not give pause for reply for any other member of the room and continued.

_"I never found out her name. She passed out not long after she had tried to carve herself up right on front of my eyes. I got her out of there as best I could and began to drag her back towards the direction I had come from; leading back to the road. I had gotten a couple of miles before I came across Ellen. She was trying to change a flat on my car. She had never even made it in to town.  
With her help I put 'Jane' as we had named her into the back of my car. When we had finally gotten the tyre changed we tried to make our way back towards town looking for help". _

_"We got completely lost and ended up here at the lake"._

Frank spoke now giving Tim a much needed rest. The strain of recalling the past was starting to take its toll on him.

"_We managed to get 'Jane' into the house. She was completely unconscious and had lost a lot of blood. The wound itself did not seem to be life threatening so Ellen managed to get her cleaned up enough so we could put her to bed until we could get help in the morning. While Tim was helping Ellen dress the poor girl for bed she noticed her back had started to bleed again.  
She swore to me that those wounds had not been on her body while she was cleaning her off. Ellen is just as bad a liar as Tim and her voice shook with disbelief at her own words when she told me how the words appeared on Jane's back right before her eyes as if being carved by an invisible hand"_

'I. AM. WAITING'

Frank knew he was dealing with something outside the norms here having unfortunately seen the unexplainable many times before. It was no accident that these people had ended up at his home, his sanctuary and he did his best to get control of the situation without alarming both young people.

Without discussing it both Tim and Ellen stayed close to Jane needing to make sure that she was recovered before they made their way back to civilization.  
The Doctor had checked for infection and having found none he prescribed bed rest. Jane would be as well off here as at the hospital he told them.  
She refused all attempts the Sheriff had made to talk to her and any attempt s to learn her identity or background had been fruitless.

Tim seemed to take a very protective role in her care. Frank would like to have thought that this was because he was her rescuer and so needed to see it through to the end.  
But he knew better.

To the untrained eye it would seem that they had formed a very special bond but then again who wouldn't have under the circumstances.  
Frank had seen all the signs before as much as he didn't want it to be so.

It was not that Tim didn't want to leave Jane's side. It was that he couldn't. He would spend his every waking and sleeping moment with her if Frank had not mercifully managed to drag him away as much as possible for sleep and rest.

As Jane thrived and healed quickly the young man had started to wilt before his very eyes. It was as if they were joined by an invisible but very powerful and Frank realized grimly; a dark force.  
Tim seemed to be in actual physical pain when they were separated and Jane still maintained she knew nothing of her past.

She did not seem all that interested in learning about it either as far as Frank could tell.

This had gone on for two weeks and Ellen was now just as worried. Frank did not know how to explain to her what was happening. Apart from the fact that he was almost sure that she wouldn't believe it he was now actually beginning to fear for her safety too.

He did not allow her into the room with Jane alone after he began to notice how her fists would ball up under the covers and the look of pure hatred she would level at Ellen when their eyes would meet.

One night not long after Frank s suspicions were confirmed beyond all doubt. He had followed Tim as quietly as he could to Jane's room sliding down onto the floor outside the door.  
It was after four pm when Tim had made his way to her room; taking his usual seat. He stared at her with glazed eyes as if he were still asleep and giving no outwards signs that he could comprehend his surroundings.

Jane reached out her hand to touch Tim's chest and at the same moment he sucked in a sharp and painful breath. She began to speak in a language that very few people had ever even heard, a dead ancient language and Frank knew without a doubt he was not dealing with a lost and scared young girl. He was dealing with a being as old as time and the danger she posed was incomprehensible.

He dared not enter the room.

If she knew that he was onto her, or it as he should now refer to her; Tim would surely pay the price.

He stayed as still as possible not even daring to breathe in case it heard him. It spoke the ancient words in hushed tones but Frank could still hear how its voice had taken on a deep rattle as if speaking from a great distance. Just as it had gone quiet and Frank had felt the danger had passed, its voice rang out.

"_Priest you will not interfere. You may have sent my brothers home but I should like to stay a while. I grow weary of this vessel. It no longer suits my needs. I will have the boy.  
Leave us now, we would be alone"_

Frank's head began to thump and his throat began to close in that familiar way he remembered from years past.

Evil had sucked everything from the room and left him with an ache that permeated every part of his body.

Ziva and Gibbs had been quite well behaved while Frank had taken up the story from where McGee had left off.

They had not passed judgment, at least not verbally on what they were being told. They had not left the room in disgust or said outright that they did not believe what they were hearing.  
It the situation was not so serious Tim might have laughed at some of their facial expressions but to their credit they continued to listen to what they were being told.

He knew how it sounded and he couldn't blame them even now if they chose to walk away. He just hoped that they wouldn't.

Tim sent a small smile at Frank indicating his appreciation for the reprieve from having to talk for a while and began to speak again before the he lost his captive audience.

"_I don't remember much of what you were just told, only bits and pieces. It's a distant memory and the more I grab at it the further away it seems to get. I  
t's all a haze and from the small pieces that I can remember I'm grateful for that small mercy"_

There was no way Tim was going to be able to deliver this in a way that would be palatable so he didn't even try.

"_Demonic possession is not something a person would ever choose to talk about. Hell it's not something that a person would ever choose to believe in. I know that I didn't.  
That was until I was the one who was actually possessed" _Tim closed his eyes as he uttered those words. He couldn't bear to look at Gibbs or Ziva now.  
If he hadn't lost them before he was sure to have done so now.  
Gibbs would probably be sneaking outside right now to make a call and have him committed by morning.

When he opened his eyes Gibbs was gone and his heart almost shattered there and then. Ziva was twiddling the Star of David she wore between her thumb and forefinger while chewing on her bottom returned to his spot at the table with a fresh cup of coffee, took a long refreshing gulp and broke the silence.

"_McGee I think you'll agree that I'm entitled to be having trouble with what you've just told me"_

Tim didn't get to respond before Gibbs put a finger to his own lips in a shushing motion.

_"That doesn't mean that I don't believe you. We have a lot of things to work through here but we will work through them son"_

Tim almost broke down there and then but Frank met his gaze as if he was trying to transfer some of his own strength to him.

"_Hold onto that feeling Gibbs and tell me if you still feel the same way after you hear this" _Tim said

_"Agent Gibbs I have dedicated my life to the eradication of evil as you have. We both hold the same mission in life. We have both taken very different paths to achieve that goal.  
I see in you a great pain but what I also see is a man that has chosen to use that pain to a positive end. You do this while holding a badge in one hand and a gun in the other.  
I do this while holding a crucifix in one hand and my faith in God in the other"  
_The entire room hung on Frank's every word as he spoke.

"_Tim was taken over by the evil that lived in Jane. It was a slow thing to witness but that did not make it any less powerful. As Father Corbin here can attest to I have performed more exorcisms in my life time than any other priest alive today. What you may not know is that I work outside the church. The ritual of exorcism is ancient and extremely dangerous.  
It also takes an incredible amount of time for one to be authorized by the Vatican and even then it is very unlikely that they will agree to it.  
Tim did not have that time and so I was forced to perform it without the knowledge of the church"_

Father Corbin gasped at this information and shook his head numbly, not in judgment but in amazement. It had always been a topic of huge speculation as to why Fr Dyer had suddenly disappeared.  
He now had his answer.

"_An exorcism can take anything from mere hours to an extreme of years to complete. It damages the bodies and minds of all those involved, sometimes beyond repair.  
When Tim was exorcised it took almost three days to complete and it nearly killed us both"_

"_The beads we found on the three Anderson, Collins and Burke are part of this aren't they"? _Gibbs questioned.

Gibbs motioned for Ziva to give him her phone and proceeded to scroll through the pictures until he found the one he needed. He showed Frank the phone and his reaction said it all.

Frank fell back into his chair. "_Agent Gibbs where did you find those? I am the only person who can make those types of beads in this part of the world. Most clergy don't know that they even exist"_

_"They were found at each of the crime scenes close to the bodies" _Gibbs replied.

_"Tim…" _Frank was shaking his head furiously now and balling up his fists. He violently brought them down to the table startling everyone in the room.

"_Tim son I'm so sorry. I failed you" _Tears were gathering in Franks eyes now and he looked devastated.

"_Frank? Fr Dyer what is it? What's wrong now"? _Gibbs pulled at the hair on the back of his head in frustration.

The temperature seemed to drop to below zero in an instant and the little light there was seeped straight out of the room.

Gibbs wrinkled his nose at the smell that was assaulting his nose and the back of his throat and his eyes had begun to burn. Tim was standing with his back to the door and faced the room.  
He stood there lightly flipping his head from side as if trying to work out a kink in his neck.

He said nothing.

He took his time to individually study each person in the room in complete silence.

The older priest was pale and looked as though he was going to throw up. Gibbs didn't know who to go to first Tim or Frank. He didn't have to wait long for his answer.

Tim started to clap and it was slow and steady. His arms would stretch dramatically wider with each action. He then started to laugh if that's what you could call it.

The sound was bone chilling. It was raspy and deep and completely inhuman. It made them feel like they had been dipped in something oily that would never come off.

The entire room backed up not knowing how to react. Had the stress finally made the young man snap? Gibbs didn't get to continue that train of thought before a voice filled the room.

"_You finally figured it out priest. I told you I liked it here and wished to stay. You should hear him scream but he will tire eventually. He will scream until his throat bleeds and it will be in vain.  
It has taken me years to silence him so I could finally be heard. He fights the battle daily but it has exhausted him and I will speak for us now"_

Tim turned to leave but stopped and looked back. For a split second his face returned to what it had been an hour before and he uttered two single words to the room.

_"I'm sorry"_

Timothy McGee was out of the room before he had finished and after a couple of seconds of shock the group descended into chaos.

**I know it looks hopeless but all is not lost. Timothy McGee is not capable of murder as we all know but it look as if poor Tim has 'left the building' for now.  
But with a team like his they won't go down without a fight.**

TBC...


	10. Chapter 10

**Chapter 10 **

**Locked in.**

**Thanks for your reviews people. The end is in sight now and my aim is to have the entire story posted by Halloween.**

**If you do enjoy the story please review. It only takes a moment and is appreciated more than you can know.**

**I must also warn that this chapter deals with the death of a child. It is not graphic but may be extremely upsetting to certain people. So I am warning you in advance.**

Tim felt it slowly creep up his back like a set of fingers dancing towards the nape of his neck. There was a far off buzzing in his ears and he could feel the hairs on his body stand to attention.  
His throat became dry before he could even attempt to vocalize his discomfort.

Before he fully realized what was happening it was already too late. He was no longer in control of his body or his mind. Inside his head he screamed over and over again, but it was utterly pointless.  
He was trapped now to be nothing more than a mere spectator and an unwilling tool of evil.

For a second he came too and managed to turn his body towards the occupants of the room. He wasn't sure what the motivation was for allowing him this tiny sliver of control.

He eyed Gibbs gun wondering if he could get to it in time. He had hurt the people in this room enough for one day and him blowing his brains out all over the kitchen table might end his suffering quickly and efficiently. But would only devastate them.

It seemed to sense what he was thinking and what he was trying to do. Instead it propelled him to the door to force him out. With every bit of strength that now remained in Tim McGee he turned to them and put all the emotion he could into two words. "_I'm sorry". _It was all he could give them.

It was goodbye, I'm sorry, I love you and please forgive me all rolled into one desperate utterance. He prayed that they would understand.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-

_"What the hell was that?" _roared Gibbs.

"_That Agent Gibbs was something that I thought I had sent back to the bowels of hell" _Frankie said in a stunned whisper.

Gibbs made to run for the door and follow Tim but both Fr Dyer and Corbin put a hand on each shoulder stopping him in his tracks. Gibbs shrugged them off and turned angrily towards them.  
_"Do not try to stop me, I have to go after him"._

_"And then what Agent Gibbs? What are you going to do? You can't just go up to that thing and threaten it with a gun. Tim's not in control anymore and all your going to accomplish by running out there waving your gun around is to get Fr McGee killed"._

Gibbs would never say it out loud but right now he was terrified. He was in a situation where his instincts were letting him down badly.  
He desperately wanted to go after Tim but he had to pull himself back if his actions as Fr Dyer suggested would get Tim killed.

He was well and truly lost.

Ellen arrived back to a group in crisis. Voices were raised and expressions were furious.

They gave her the synopsis of what had happened and she listened intently and stoically. She had felt that when Tim had come back to this place that with him he had brought a heavy presence.  
She had put it down to guilt and self-flagellation.

Guilt and barely suppressed anger was a coat he never allowed himself to take off. Little did she realize that the evil she had witnessed ten years before was sleeping barely beneath the surface and had apparently woken up after a long slumber.

Ellen looked helplessly at Frank. They silently communicated, exchanging worried glances until Ellen spoke aloud.

_"Frank it's gonna torture him until he can't stand it anymore. This time he won't hesitate. The second he gets a chance he'll finish it" _she said with a terrified edge to her voice.

"_Won't hesitate to do what? I want answers now" _screamed Gibbs.

"_When Charlie died all those years Tim shut down completely. He didn't eat or sleep for what seemed like months. The only thing he did do was drink himself into oblivion and disappear for hours sometimes days at a time. When I confronted him and demanded to know what was going on he finally caved and told me. It was the only time that he could address directly what was going on.  
I know now that he wasn't in control. He told me that 'Jane' had never left and never would. He had tried desperately to end his life many times to spare us from harm but 'Jane' had stopped every attempt.  
He had drunk constantly hoping to poison himself. He had stopped eating hoping to starve to death._

_Every attempt he had made to end his life had been thwarted. Jane had let him get to the brink but she would always pull him back; but not out of mercy. She refused to let him have the one thing that he wanted so desperately; to die"._

_"I never knew that Tim had a son. He never once mentioned that part of his past not even after he found out about my family. He could have come to me. I would have understood. I could have helped.  
What happened to Charlie? There is no way that Tim murdered his own son" _Gibbs voice was softer now.

He didn't have the strength to shout anymore.

Ellen let out a short and hollow laugh. "_I think we both know that Tim lives in world of blame and guilt whether he is in DC or here. That little boy was his reason for breathing and that's why he wasn't allowed to live. That day I only left for a couple of hours. When I came back to this place the girl was dead and Tim was sitting on the shore holding Charlie. At first I thought my little boy was asleep in his daddy's arms.  
Tim had often brought him down to the lake when he was restless and couldn't get him to sleep. He was so still. He was sitting cross-legged with him in the crook of his arm and I was sure that Tim had dropped off too. When he looked at me there was nothing. It was like staring into an abyss._

_She drowned our son and made Tim watch._

_She wanted to make sure he was completely broken and that he would offer no resistance when she finally took over. He told me later that she lead him to the water and made Tim watch as he disappeared beneath the surface. He couldn't move. He had screamed and pleaded and begged but that only spurred her on._

_To make sure that he was beyond all hope of repair she handed him back to Tim. When he was finally able to ask her why she only laughed and replied "because I can"._

_Charlie died that day but he took Tim with him._

Gibbs did not reply deciding instead to make a hole in the kitchen wall. His fist was already swelling and bleeding only moments later. Ziva did not cry but her eyes were suspiciously cloudy and both her hands were closed into tight fists.

"_The case that we are working on. The three dead soldiers. I can't protect Tim from that. There's no one who is going to believe this. Demonic possession is not a defence against murder_ _Ellen.  
I don't know if I can get him out of this". _Gibbs was at a loss.

"_Agent Gibbs Tim is not a murderer" _screamed Ellen

" _I know that Ellen" _Gibbs replied just as forcefully. "_But that thing wants us and everyone else to think that he is. It went to the trouble of making sure that everything points to Tim and it sure as hell wants him to think he is too. It wants him thrown in a cell with no hopes of escape so it can torture him uninterrupted until the end of his days"._

Ziva had remained quiet throughout. She had listened intently and while shocked and saddened by what she had heard she had also done her best to try to assimilate  
the information into some sort of plan of action.

"_This thing has one end. If I am correct it will be to inflict suffering for its own pleasure. The only thing that I can think is that we give it what it wants" _Ziva spoke carefully bracing herself for the inevitable backlash.

They all spoke at once. Their voices were indistinguishable before she slammed her fist down on the table to continue.

"_It is playing a game and if we are to help Tim we must also play. It wants suffering and so it will have it in spades. We will make this thing believe it is in control and we will do so by redirecting it's attentions towards us. If we can divide it then maybe it will slip up and Fr's Dyer and Corbin can step in and send it back to where it came from; once and for all"._

"_The one thing that Tim will not be able to survive in this mess is if one of you get hurt or killed because you are trying to help him. If that happens and we manage to rid him of that thing finally, then it will have been for nothing. He will be as good as dead". _What Ellen said had hurt but they could not deny that she was right.

"_And if Tim is left to suffer to that thing because we didn't try hard enough; I am as good as dead"._

Gibbs always let his actions speak for themselves. He was protective of his team but for him to outright declare that if he couldn't save Tim it would kill him scared Ziva.  
She had always wondered at the lengths he would go to for any one of them. She had caught glimpses now and again. She was however taken aback to hear it spoken aloud by him but not shocked that he felt that way. Ziva knew that she would do the same.

They were her family.

They would draw this thing to them now in the hopes that they could free Tim. They just hoped that the damage that was being inflicted now and would be inflicted in the future would not be so great that he couldn't be saved. One thing they all knew without having to say it was that they had to act fast.

They were up against something that they knew practically nothing about. There was little to be sure about in this situation but what each and every one of them did know what that they would give their own lives if needs be to free him.

They hoped with all their hearts that Tim knew this too.

-NCIS-NCIS-NCIS-

Tim knew that he was heading back to DC. What he did not know was why and this did nothing to quell the ball of dread steadily building in his stomach. He could feel his body go cold from fear and the beads of sweat beginning to make their way down the sides of his face and down his back.

The panic only increased as he made his way back into the city and turned on to a road that he knew quite well. He tried to stop himself from moving forward.  
He screamed silently at his body exited the car, betraying him and making its way to the elevator. He could hear it laughing at his discomfort and the more he tried to resist the faster he seemed to be reaching his destination.

It was inside his head and rifling through his most private thoughts and feelings. There was only one reason why he was here. It wanted him see the look of fear and disbelief when Tim turned on them.  
He desperately looked around for something anything to halt his progress but there was nothing and before he knew it he was knocking on the door.

He could feel his face contort into an uneven sneer as his knuckles rapped on the wood. He was hoping for the possibility that they were not here but that thought was dashed when he heard movement and muffled cursing as the occupant shuffled towards the door and their head appeared.

"_Hey" _Tim's voice didn't sound any different he was disappointed to note.

"_Probie what the hell are you doing here?"_

_"Hey Tony! Can't a friend just drop by to say hello?"_

**Next chapter will have a nice little confrontation between 'Tim' and Tony and the fight for Tim's soul will begin.**

**Didn't want to forget about Tony and I thought it would be fun to explore this and see if he can sense anything is up.**

TBC…


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N Firstly I must apologize for my crazy delay in posting the remainder of this story.**

**I had originally planned to get this posted by Halloween but we are now approaching the end of February and I am only getting back on track. My laptop decided to explode and could not be salvaged in any form. Not prepared for this unplanned expense I was caught off guard and had to wait patiently to replace what was lost.**

**I would be very happy if I all could be forgiven and my faithful readers could for go this transgression on my part and we can pick up from where we left off.**

**With this in mind I have the next chapter ready for you and would be delighted if you could continue to read and let me know your thoughts.**

**I would respectfully request that you leave a review no matter how brief and fleeting to sustain my muse and show me that all hope is not lost.**

**Again I apologize and now on with the story.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own NCIS.**

**Chapter 11**

**The Exorcism of Timothy McGee.**

Tony had seen some strange things the past few days. He put it down to his well documented intolerance to painkillers.

To say that he was surprised to see Timothy McGee in his apartment at almost one am when he had disappeared from a scene they were working only days before with not as much as a call since then.

That was an understatement.

Tony although still slightly muddled due to his most recent dose only half an hour before could still definitely that something was not quite right. What that was he had yet to figure out.

Before he could respond Tim had already made his way inside. His eyes darted around the room as if he was desperately looking for something and just as quickly his gaze travelled to Dinozzos shocked form and rested there.

Tony could not find anything outwardly different about Tim but his hackles had gone up the minute he had set foot inside the apartment. They say that the eyes are the windows to the soul.

Tony never had put much stock in such sayings but cliché or not it described what he was seeing perfectly.

He was a trained investigator.

He would file every piece of information and evidence he could glean from a person before coming to a decision on either their guilt, innocence or if they were just plain hiding something, depending on the situation at hand.

He had never needed do that with Tim and certainly not now. He looked the same but his eyes.

His eyes were screaming at him.

"_Sure McGee. You know you can drop in any time. Mi Casa et us Casa and all that" _Tony tempered his tone keeping it light and knowing instinctively that the situation called for it. Whatever that situation was Tony had yet to figure out.

"_So what happened to you Tony, you look like you've been in the wars?" _

Now Tony was sure something was off. He didn't know about his accident and that could only mean he had not been in contact with Gibbs and Ziva since he had decided to go AWOL.

Tony did vaguely remember a call from Gibbs a couple of days ago but he wasn't sure if it had even happened until now. The only thing that he could remember was that he had told the Boss that he loved him and giggled a lot. Gibbs had dealt with his weird reaction to pain pills before and usually shrugged it off.

He had mentioned McGee though.

He could not recall exactly what Gibbs had said but he could remember the tremor in his voice when he spoke to him.

Looking at Tim now he could see why.

It wasn't what Tim was saying that was wrong. It was how he was looking at Tony.

Like a hunter would look at its prey.

He had actually seen him lick his lips at one stage and his uneasiness had increased in droves since he had opened the door to him not five minutes before.

Tony knew that his natural reaction would be to call Gibbs and ask him what the hell was going. But he knew right now that was not the way to go here. He was in his own apartment and actually felt cornered.

Tim had not said or done anything to him per say to make him feel threatened but his very presence felt wrong. It felt heavy and stifling and those were words he would never have used to describe his probie.

All of a sudden Tim shot up out of the seat and made his way to the kitchen.

He pulled each cupboard open spilling the contents on the counter top and getting more and more frustrated as he was apparently looking for something and could not find it.

Tony looked on dumbfounded.

He viciously pulled the drawers open and one after another upturned their contents. He stilled for a moment bracing himself with his hands that he had now extended outward towards the counter surface and started to shake. He was taking fast, gulping breaths that Tony could only assume were his own way of trying to calm himself and Tony had thought they had started to work until he suddenly turned himself towards the disturbed Senior Agent.

Tony had not spoken a word as Tim had thrashed his kitchen. He had not tried to physically restrain him and had not shouted to get his attention. Tim could have flattened him due to his busted leg and foggy reflexes so he just waited for it to pass. When he thought things had begun to calm something reflective and extremely dangerous caught his eye.

Why did Tim have his sharpest and most deadly carving knife in his hand and better again why was he pointing it at Tony?

"_Tim put the knife down" _Tony spoke so quietly at first he wasn't sure if Tim had heard him.

The only indication that McGee had heard him was when he turned to look at his own left hand in disbelief. A single tear had started to make its way down his cheek and his hand shook furiously.

"_Cant" was_ the only response that McGee was able to make and the sheer effort it took for him to utter that one syllable almost brought him to his knees in the middle of Tony's kitchen.

Tim continued to shake and closed his eyes. His lips were moving silently and if Tony didn't know any better he could have sworn he was praying. He continued like this for a minute at least before Tony noticed his fingers start to loosen their grip on the knife slightly.

He let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding and it seemed to startle the younger man slightly.

Tim rushed past him almost knocking him off his crutches and made his way back into the living room. He didn't make to follow him straight away being still unbelievably shaken by what had just happened.

"_He wanted to stab me?" _It had happened but he still struggled to believe it.

He peered around the wall of his kitchen and was met with Tim's hunched back. He was cross-legged on the floor and was furiously sucking down a large bottle of Jack Daniels like a man who was dying of thirst.

Tony would have been almost impressed if Tim hadn't tried to stab him a few minutes before. This might be his only chance so he took it.

He just hoped Gibbs would pick up.

"_Yeah Gibbs"_

_"Gibbs its Tony. I got a problem here"_

_"DiNozzo this better be important. We kinda have problems of our own here"_

_"Well my problem is currently sitting in the middle of my living room floor working its way through two liters of Jack Daniels"_

_"DiNozzo what the hell are you going on about? I haven't got time for this shit. McGee's in trouble"_

_"You can say that again, Our little probster here was about to stab me but decided better of it and is now trying to pickle himself on my floor while using one of my favorite DVD's as a coaster"_

_"Wait he's there? Tony you need to keep him there"_

_"Boss what the hell is going on?" _Tony could hear voices in the background one of them Ziva's and a couple he didn't recognize.

"_There's no time to explain DiNozzo. We're on our way. You have got to keep him there. And Tony whatever you do be careful" _Gibbs had apparently hung up.

The dial tone on the other end only served to add to his rapidly developing headache.

What the hell was he supposed to do? He was trapped in his apartment with a man he had trusted his life to on many occasions. This was a man that was family, his brother and Tony couldn't believe that he felt scared of him.

He carefully made his way out to the living room from the kitchen and clumsily eased himself onto the sofa. Tim still had his back to him and his head bowed.

They both remained in their positions for about forty-five minutes before he heard Tim's voice.

"_Tony tie me up"_

Tony did what he always did in situations that put him off-balance. He resorted to inappropriate humor.

"_McGee I know you consider me all to be a bit of a man whore but you're not my type. So I'll pass thanks. Anyway I'm not feeling up to it at the moment"_

_"Trust me…. Please" _Tim did not turn around as he spoke but Tony could hear it was a strain for him to speak.

Tony was seriously thinking about it. Something was so completely wrong here. Tim himself seemed to be admitting he had no control over his own actions. He as quietly as he could went to the kitchen and retrieved some cable ties from the mess of items now sitting on his counter top. He was halfway across the room when he heard the most inhuman wail coming from Tim.

It made his stomach turn and his heart beat as if it was trying to escape his chest.

He was now banging his head off the stand that the TV rested on and any reservations that Tony may have had about restraining Tim disappeared there and then.

He did it as quickly as he could and with his hands finally secured he pulled him towards the middle of the room to try to stop him from smashing his head clean in. Tim lay in the middle of the floor staring at the ceiling. His breathing had started to even out and Tony had thought for a moment he had fallen asleep.

The only words that he seemed to be repeating over and over were "_Thank you, Thank you, Thank you….."_

Tony backed away, falling back on to his sofa only when the backs of his knees touched it and forced him to sit. He started to weigh the possibilities for what he was seeing. It was like a collage of scenes from every bad B Sci Fi and horror movie he had ever seen but that had never scared him in the past.

What was scaring him was this was someone he knew and cared about and he was only to be a helpless spectator.

McGee was having some sort of psychotic break. All the teasing had finally gotten to him and he had snapped making his way to Tony's to take his revenge after one joke too many.

He was suffering from a mental illness of some kind. Schizophrenia or something equally as horrifying and he was now trapped in a reality of his own minds design.

Alcohol induced psychosis. He had really put away that bottle of Jack. If he had been drinking like that for an extended period of time it would surely damage his mind in some way. He had seen alcohol do some incredibly destructive things to people in his past and as his time as a cop in Baltimore. But he would have noticed if probie had a drink problem. Wouldn't he?

While Tony was running down the list of possibilities in his head he noticed that Tim was now sitting up and facing him. It was a gruesome sight. The head wound he had given himself was bleeding freely, dripping like a leaky faucet on to his shoulder. But that was not the most disturbing thing.

Tim's eyes were completely black.

A polished black that obscured the whites of his eyes completely and made even more impressive from the shine it was taking from the lamp in the corner of the room.

"_Tim have you taken anything? I didn't figure you for a guy who does drugs"._

He must be doing some hardcore shit for his pupils to be blown to that degree Tony thought to himself.

"_Agent DiNozzo you should hear it. He screams and strains as if it will have any effect. I will admit he was strong in the beginning. His guilt is his weakness but it serves as my nourishment. It is sweet and plentiful. He refuses to be rid of it so I will be sustained for many years to come" _

Tony was now leaning towards a mixture of some sort of psychotic break and drugs, definitely drugs. His voice had taken on a deep and resonating tone that was many octaves below what he knew Tim's voice to sound like.

And that laugh.

That laugh was like every villain in every movie he had ever watched all cackling at once and it made his skin crawl to hear it coming from Tim.

"_He really can't stand you. He thinks that you're pathetic. Poor little rich boy. He fantasizes about putting you in your place. Do not be fooled by the sweet exterior. He has the heart of a killer. I feel it beating…. So fast…" _Tony noticed Tim twitching as if he was trying to fight something but didn't comment. What was there to say?

"_You work with this person. Put your life in his hands. How foolish of you Anthony DiNozzo. He murdered his own son and you trust him to keep you safe" Tony_ gasped at the venom he heard from the voice being directed towards him. Tim had now started to rock backwards and forwards and it served only to make look even more deranged. He could hear the words but the facial expression never changed except for a steady stream of tears making their way down Tim's chalk colored face.

He felt sick.

Tony tried not to show how effected he was by what he heard and decided as Tim was now safely tied up he would at least try to communicate with him somehow.

"_Tim I know you're in there. Whatever is going on in that head of yours you need to fight it! I'm not even close to knowing what is going on with you. But I'm here and I'm not giving up on you"._

Tim turned his head towards Tony. His mouth hung open as if he was about to speak but it closed again and he continued on with his creepy rocking motion.

His mouth began to move again and Tony dared move closer needing to hear what was being said. Tim was saying the same thing over again. "_Our Father who art in heaven…."_

_"Tim…Tim… look at me please"?_

_"Father McGee has how you would say Anthony DiNozzo…left the building" _and there was that laugh again. It made Tony shiver involuntarily and his skin was now a mass of goose bumps.

What the hell was going on? Murdered his own son…. Father McGee. This shit was too crazy to process but it didn't make him feel any less scared or out of his depth.

Tony shuffled towards the window not being able to stand to be so close to that thing…Tim anymore. It made him feel helpless and ill to see him this way, knowing he could not do anything more until Gibbs got here.

God he hoped he would just hurry up and get here.

Mercifully only two hours later Gibbs, Ziva and three other people that Tony had never seen before burst into his apartment.

"_DiNozzo you o.k.?" _Gibbs shouted out of breath and red faced.

"_Just fine Boss. McGee seems to be doing a very nice reenactment of my horror DVD collection right here in my apartment. Now is someone going to tell me what the hell is going on?"_

A man that Tony had never seen before spoke. He had Gibbs silver hair but was at least twenty years older. When he spoke it was with authority and he held the rooms' attention.

"_Agent DiNozzo my name is Father Dyer and you will probably have to put aside everything you thought you ever knew about the demonic world because today you have one of the strongest demons that has ever managed to make it into our world sitting on your living room floor"_

Tony could react no other way to that statement but to laugh. And so he did. What he did notice was that both Gibbs and Ziva's faces were just as serious as when they had first burst into his apartment.

"_You're serious! Gibbs come on! Ziva you cannot be serious" _but Tony could see that they were for all intents and purposes as serious as a heart attack.

"_Agent DiNozzo I don't expect you to believe in any of this. My job is not to make you believe. In order for you to help Tim you do not need to believe in me or even God, but you do need to have faith in Tim or we will never be able to get him back. I failed him once before I will not do so again"_

They all moved to stand on front of Tim and took in his appearance. He was rocking back and forth and his face was a mask. His eyes were a complete bottomless black and Gibbs noticed as he peered over his head that his hands were tied. Stripes of blood poured down his arms as he strained to free himself.

Gibbs looked at Tony silently inquiring about his tied wrists.

"_He asked me to" _was all he said in response.

_"That's good" _replied a beautiful red haired woman. "_It means he's still in there" _She leaned forwards and cupped Tim face lovingly but Tony much as he wanted to comment on it managed to remain quiet.

"_What happened Tony?" _asked Gibbs

_"He just showed up here about one am. Yeah it was weird but he just waltzed right in. He was acting all fidgety. His eyes were all wrong and the way he moved… it wasn't natural. He thrashed my kitchen and found a knife. I was actually sure he was going to use it on me. He looked as if he was fighting something, like he couldn't control himself. He finally put the knife down and got into my liquor cabinet. Downed a two liter bottle in record time and when he did speak all he kept was asking was for me to tie him up. I did it because in all honesty he was starting to scare the crap out of me. He started this weird conversation as if he was speaking about himself like he was another person and his voice…" _Tony actually shuddered as he recalled the conversation.

"_He was spouting some crazy shit Gibbs. How Tim murdered his own son, how he wanted to do me harm since he met me! He called him Father McGee…. Jesus I wish he hadn't drank all the Jack". _

Tony was beginning to become even more freaked out by the fact that nobody was trying to discount what he was saying. It could only mean that it was true. He had seen every episode of the twilight zone as a child and he loved it because it had scared the bejesus out of him. But this… this was a different type of fear because he couldn't shout at it, punch it or shoot it. He just couldn't switch off the TV and have it disappear. It was sitting only a few feet away from him, rocking back and forth and the other people in the room looked just as out of their element as he felt.

"_Tony I get it. This is ….beyond weird but some things can't easily be explained. They just are and we have to try and fix them as best we can" Gibbs_ explanation calmed Tony and everyone else in the room fractionally. It was simple, almost eloquent because it expressed their feelings about what was going on better than they could themselves.

Frank felt for them all but they could not spare a moment longer.

They had to begin if they were going to be able to pull Tim from the abyss.

He addressed the room with an authority that brokered no argument.

"_This is going to take the strength of each and every one of you. It is not going to be pleasant and it'll test you beyond anything you have ever endured. If you don't have the stomach for this now is the time to leave?" _

As Frank suspected not one person moved a muscle. Taking that as silent agreement that they were all in this together they settled in for the greatest test anyone of them would ever have to face and the fight for Tim's soul.

**TBC...**


End file.
